Careful what you wish for
by mivpus
Summary: Being killed is never a good way to begin your day. I should know. And yet, waking up to a kickass angel and a divine being... kinda makes up for it. Partial crossovers such as Mass Effect/ AVP-the game. Heavy on character relationships and development, as well as some combat. SI/Ash. W and M. Shep/Tali Z. This story isn't in the crossover-sections, as it remains in the ME-verse.
1. Adios

**A/N: So, this is it: my first try at a fan-fic story. this WILL be taking place in the ME universe, but chapter one is more about getting there. You'll see.**

**Also, a huge thank you to theRev28 and Mags360. their stories have been my main source of courage to write this.**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

**Adios.**

"_Hey Nic. You ever wonder what life would be like if we were sucked into the future?"_

"_Well, sometimes, but why do you ask?"_

"_Just wondering what my life would be like if I lived in the Mass Effect universe… sounds crazy?"_

"_Dude, you've been playing that game to much… seriously, you're almost like a nerd when it come to that game"._

"_Well, not quite… I never played the first game you know? And that kinda sucks, having to see it all in LP's on YouTube"._

"_Whatever… you would probably end up dead before you had been there for five minutes"_

"_Touché"._

"_Well, gotta go now, I've got the early shift in the Zoo tomorrow. See ya' __" _

"_Alright, adios"_

"_Adios"_

22:07

Friday.

I put down the laptop and stare out the window of my apartment. It's raining. This is one of the times I am glad to have my own place, not having to sit in some bar or pizzeria, waiting it out before going to one of the alleys, sleeping on the streets. Luckily, there are only relatively few people who have to do that. That's one of the benefits of living in a semi-socialistic-capitalistic country like Denmark; there are only a few homeless and poor people, compared to the larger countries like England and America. Over there, they've got poverty, slums and riots. While we too, have some slums, or ghettoes, our last "riot" was when they cleared "the House", a part of Copenhagen where a lot of the criminals reside. And that was a decade ago. In my opinion, they should just wall up the place and let them see how well they fared without their "evil opponent" the state. But that isn't my decision to make. Hell, I've always hated politics, never seeing our politicians as anything but people in it for the money.

I look around the apartment, while listening to a mix of the rain hammering on the window, and Two Steps from Hell in my earphones. I love that group. The place is little more than a room-and-a-half. There is the kitchen, living room, and bedroom in the same room, only cut off by a short hallway leading to the door. The toilet is the only other room in here. Well, that's how far you get on a mix of SU(1) and pay from the warehouse at the harbor. I work there in the weekends, more specifically on the Saturdays, as I use the Sundays to do my homework. College really is a bitch. The last time I did something just for fun, was over six months ago, in spring break. That was when I went to Barcelona with Nic and another friend of mine. We had a blast, even though we were approached by several beggars, a prostitute, and we all got food poisoning from a shellfish restaurant. To go into details, I ended the day competing with Nic and Magnus for the WC and the sink in the kitchen. Sucks to be the weakest guy, when you've had the worst of it. When there wasn't any room on either side, and I felt my food wanting revenge, the window seemed like the best solution. Apparently, the guy on the street just below the window, having a smoke… didn't quite agree with me…

We (and by that I mean me) ended up having to pay for new clothes, and for new cigarettes. Well, that was the hard part of that vacation. And also the part I can laugh about now. Ni and I met on the swimming-team, were we took an instant liking to each other. We eventually became best friends. The problem just is that he attends another college than me, and that we work different places. He got lucky, and got work in a zoo where his dad works. And me? I got stuck working my ass off in a warehouse by the harbor. But it isn't all bad. The view is terrific, and I can follow up close the construction of the new library and the new monorail on the harbor. It is an amazing sight, the most advanced and modern building in Aarhus. And it looks good. So far. That's more than you can say about a lot of the modern building shooting up, all over the country, as most are just pillars of glass and steel. My apartment is located about five minutes of cycling from the job, so it's just a quick trip.

My place is pretty spartan, to use the old expression. I've got a TV, a bed and a bedside table, dinner table, a small kitchen where all the utensils are gifts from my parents, a shelf with lots of books, also from back home, and my laptop, which I use, both for work, for school and just for relaxing at shit-o-clock in the evening. My bathroom doesn't even deserve that name, as it is just a WC and a sink. When I need a bath, I have to go to Spain. Yes, I travel to another country. No just kidding, I use the public baths called Spain. It's not much, but at least I don't smell like a monkey.

I get up from my office chair, oh yeah, I've got one of those as well, and walk to the kitchen to find myself some dinner. All I've got left is a can of lentils, some chicken breast and a few vegetables. Guess I gotta go shopping tomorrow. When all is said and done, I can enjoy a healthy meal of questionable taste. Well, it doesn't taste bad, but I've never been much of a cook, so "not-bad" is the equivalent of "not tasting like boiled water only". And that's also my theory as of why I can't get a girlfriend: girls stick to guys who know how to cook. And just my luck, my food is more likely to make me enemies than get me girls. This is also why I often just go to Italia. It's a small restaurant down the street. They serve really good pizzas. Aaand that's also where most of the money that I don't pay the landlord goes. Into my stomach in the form of a circular Italian bread with food on it.

Anyway, gotta stop thinking about food. Especially since, when I look at the time, it's already way past 23:00. That means I've just been sitting and listening to music for over an hour! Dammit, Now I have to go to bed.

I drop my plate and the rest of the utensils in the dishwasher, and head to bed. That's one good thing in my life. I've always been able to fall asleep almost the second my head hits the pillow. This time, is no exception.

07:27

Saturday

Man, what a crazy dream. I don't think I'll ever be able to view the combination of octopuses, astronauts and music from the 70'es the same way again. I mean seriously, what kind of messed up brain can do something like that?

Sigh, what time is it?

07:28!?

Oh snap! The time is already far too late for breakfast. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm supposed to be there at 07:30!

I rush out of bed, and brush my teeth while… performing the rituals of the bathroom. And yes, we leave it at that.

Oh fuck, my boss is gonna be sooooo pissed at me!

I all but jump in my clothes, getting the T-shirt on wrong, swearing and cursing as I pull the damn thing right, then speed down the stairs. Halfway down, I remember that I forgot to lock the door.

Up again.

I lock the door.

Down again.

I practically jump on my bicycle, and then I remember that I forgot the helmet…. Fuck it! I can go there without it. Down the street, the shopping centers and Malls are located, making this one of the busiest and most crowded streets in the city. Not really what I need right now. I get a lot of angry shouts and raised fists when I almost race down the pedestrian zone, a strret meant for walkers, not cars and bicycles. I don't give a shit. If I am late by more than five minutes, the most raised fist I'm gonna see, is my boss' when he tells me to get a new job.

He's kind of a prick in the way.

I get lucky, though, as when I approach the crossroads, the light is green. Only problem is, that the car racing towards me halfway over, doesn't seem to have noticed that, in opposition to me, his light is red. So yeah, I'm this close to being rammed by some idiot who found his driver's license, in a Happy Meal.

"Fucking Idio-"I start to yell at him.

Then I notice that the railroad, cutting across the road, has its light on red. Did I mention the railroad? No? Oh well, there is a railroad following the harbor, bringing goods from one end to the other. And oh, there comes the train, heading directly for me, and with no chance to stop.

"Oh for Fucks sa-"

Then all is black.

"_Well, that could have gone better"_ a voice sounds from… everywhere.

"_What the- where am I? Who is this?!_

Okay, now I am starting to get a little scared. A little? I died there!

"_Yes, you did. But this isn't necessarily the end" _

Dafuq?!

"_Who is this? How can you hear my thoughts?!"_

"_Do you know the saying: "are we more than our thoughts?" Well, in this case, you are not."_

Oooohh fuck! This is soo messed up! I'm standing, or rather; I am in a room, or a plain or somewhere completely dark. I can't see the floor, and there is no noise when I move my feet…

FEET! My fucking legs are gone! I can't even touch the- my ha- my arms! What the Shit!?

"_What happened to me?! Where is my body!? Where are you?!"_

Where am I?

"_You are… somewhere in-between. You died back there, because of you own idio-"_

"_The fuck did you sa-"_

"_Don't interrupt me boy!" _suddenly, it sounds like I'm standing in a stadium, with all the speakers pointed at my ears from the distance of an arm. The voice sounds pissed.

"_Are you… are you God?" _as scared as I am, I can't help the question. It just comes out the second I think it.

"_God? No… there is no such… deity in this place. There is only me, and I would rather you refer to me, as You." _Now the voice came from INSIDE my head.

"_Then... what am I doing here?"_

"_You are dead, what are you asking?"_

Was this thing stupid? Why am I not in Hell or Heav-

"_No, I am not ignorant. And as to why you have not transcended, I am actually here to… give you a choice, so to speak."_

Shit! Forgot about the "mind-reading thing". I decide to be a little more curious about this whole "you are dead with a choice" thing.

"_Okay… so why am I here?"_

"_I just told you. To be given a choice"_

If I had a hand I would have done a face-palm now.

"_I mean… what are the choices?"_

"_Oh… was wondering when you would ask. The choices are rather… simple. You can return to life on Earth, however, as you were just hit by a train, you will spend the rest of your life there crippled in a way that will make Stephen Hawking look like Usain Bolt. He's still alive right? I haven't watched your TV in more than ten years."_

"_Yeah….. He's still ali- wait a- are you watching TV?!" _this is going from terrifying to downright ridicules. Death or whoever this is… is asking me about TV and sport.

"_Good, good…"_

Silence

"_Sooooo… isn't this were you tell me about the other choices?"_

"_What choices?"_

Crap!

"_Arrhh just messing with ya. I haven't had a visitor in more than 72 years, so my humor may be a little… rusty."_

What the… he's making jokes now? Then, if he's joking, I might not be-

"_And yes, you ARE dead. Sorry to tell you, but that one wasn't a joke. Would you like to see?"_

"_See? Dafuq are you talking abo-"_I start but he cuts me off by turning everything into a panorama movie of the crossroads. There, flung through the air, is my bike; twisted and destroyed, across the railroad. There is along track of blood across the tracks, and an arm is lying a little to the left from the train itself. The driver of the train, a man in the late 40's I'd guess, has jumped out of the vehicle, and is on his knees by the arm. MY arm. Several cars have stopped, and people from all around the road are pouring in to see just what has happened. Some are aghast, walking back and getting sick in the middle of the road. Some are just standing there, pointing and talking, I see one taking a picture. A PICTURE! With his cell phone, like this is some kind of entertainment to him. But most are scuttling around, looking for the rest… of me. Then the sirens start, and people start pulling back, letting the paramedics through. Not much they can do but try to collect the pieces. Then, the police arrive. Their headquarter is only two minutes of walk from here, so they are almost immediately on the scene, talking to the driver, asking the crowd what happened here. And we fade out as the picture freezes, just as one of the paramedics start to pull out something from under the train.

"_Now… this is where you decide whether or not to return to life in a state of total invalidation. If yes, then the good doc will pull out paralyzed arm-and-legless body, only capable of looking around. If no, then you will see… what's the phrase? "Just how deep the rabbit-hole goes" I think it is."_

"…_.. And by that you mean the other choices?" _I ask, shaking from the still evident picture of my accident. I am not spending the rest of my life as a cripple.

"_Well, one choice obviously is to just die and go to heaven. A lot of people choose that even before I've said what the third option is…" _

"_And what is this third option" _I ask the voice, hoping that it isn't Hell.

There is a slight pause; something that I have by now come to understand, is a sign of the voice considering how to say it.

"_Well, the third option is a rebirth, in your current state that is. Not as a baby, and not in this dimension either… you will begin a new life in a new place. And when I say your current state, I mean the state you were in, before the accident. You will, however, be left with several scars and broken limps. But not invalid. And I think you will find that the people there are quite capable of healing that."_

So, just to sum up; I can A) be the new Stephen Hawking, minus the brains. B) Go to heaven and bore my ass from here to eternity. Or C) Be reborn as a normal version of myself, with some broken bones and bruises.

"_And how many have chosen C before?"_ I can't be the first to consider it better than the first two.

_Well, surprisingly few. Only about five or six people in the time that I've been here"_

"_And that is how long?"_ this could get interesting, not that it isn't already interesting, having a chat with the voice in the dark.

"_Oh, only about two-hundred-and-ninety-one years. My predecessor still holds the record of being in power for the longest time. He sent a guy from the Stone Age into the Roman times, and they called him "the Scourge of God". Pfftt, he was just some caveman dressed in armor._

"_Well, tha- are you saying that Attila the Hun was a caveman?"_ Man this was definitely getting interesting.

"_Oh right, that was his name. Always forget it. Anyway, I'm really hoping that you'll choose the last one, and then do something either terrible or great and noble. Because I am getting tired of him saying; "oh my crossover raided Europe, what have yours done so far?" Dammit, sometimes I hate that guy!"_

Man, this is gold!

"_So, what have your people done?"_

"_well, I did bring back that dude Electric hammer-something from WWI… he could have been world famous for being the first man to fly… but noooo; He'd rather build bicycles. I had to do a little revisit on him to make him do his damn job. When he finally got it together, those stupid Americans had already been flying for some months. That was when I decided he could go F. himself."_

"_Wait, YOU created Ellehammer?!"_

"_No, I didn't create him; I just brought him back a couple of decades. Idiot was shot down by the Red baron over Somme. So I thought he would like a second chance. Idiot."_

Silence

"_So, have you made up your mind? About the choices?"_

Crap, I had such a blast that I completely forgot that I am dead.

"_Erhh… is there a "turn back" button"?_

"_No. once you have made your choice, you can never turn back."_

"_Well, I definitely not going back as a cripple, and I don't feel like knocking on Heaven's door just yet, sooooo, it will be the last one."_

"_So, you chose rebirth?"_

"_Yes"_

"_In a completely random and unknown place?"_

"…_yes"_

"_Amongst completely unknown and random people?"_

Now, he is getting a little annoying.

"_Yes, just… get it over with"_

"_Alright, well Thomas, HERE IS YOUR LIFE!"_

A bright flash.

"'Doc, I think he's waking up"

* * *

**Alright, that could have gone better for the poor guy. cliffhangers really are anoying, don't ya think?**

**remember to leave me a comment for how you guys (and girls) think I did. bad, okay, good?**

* * *

**SU - The danish government supplies every single studentin the country, from the age of 18 to 25 with money for college, Highschool, apartment and other things. Going from around 1.300 kr (about 200$) a month, to around 10.000 kr (about 1.200$) when you live alone, it has helped a lot of dansih students avoid the college debt that so many other countries' young struggle with **


	2. New time New place

**New time. New place **

Oh shit, I have the worst hangover I've ever had… well, except from that time with that beer bong and those two liters of vodka. No, you know what, this is worse. Memo to self: next time you make deal with the Grim Reaper-or-who-the-hell-that-was; bring something for a serious hangover. My head feels like someone filled it with hand grenades, detonated them all and then used my head as a drum. It's like the worst of both worlds. I could have listened to JB music, and not felt this bad.

And now I'm here at my new life and… wait a sec, where IS here? I glint my eyes, forcing them open a little. There is white, the color white mixed with the telltale lines of plates or tiles on the roof. Strange… I don't think anywhere in Aarhus looks like this. Then again, the voice said that it would be somewhere random. Oh well, as long as it isn't on someone's dinner table. Or in a tar pit, or in some fucked up dimension where you walk on your hair. Mind you, I'm shorthaired, so that could be a problem.

"'Doc, I think he's waking up"

A voice! And it was English! I just hope I haven't woken up in Star Wars. That would suck, as the bad guys were English accented, and the good guys were American accented. Do I dare open my eyes? Well, at some point I have to, so why not just get it over with. Besides, I have to make a good first impression.

I open one eye.

Well, nothing sharp stabbed it yet, so I open the other eye. Okay, progress. Both my eyes are now open and starring into a roof made of steel or some other metal. I try to move my head, but find it locked in place. There is something strapping my entire body onto the bed. Yes, I'm lying on a bed, an actual soft bed. So, I must be near other humans. And humans that speak English. Thank God, I don't think I want to see if my Swahili is in order, which it has never been.

"Okay, I think we can undo the head restraint, let him look around for a bit." It's a female voice, which I'm guessing belongs to the Doctor.

"_Alright Doc, let me have a look around."_

I feel the restraints being lifted from my head, a lot of screws come loose and something that feels like plastic is removed from my forehead. When the last piece is removed by a gloved hand, I lift my head a bit, and take a short look at my surroundings;

I'm in a medium sized room that seems like an operation room in a hospital. There are odd machines and weird equipment lining the walls, and something tha looks kinda like a CT-scanner. There are six beds in here; all of them empty, except for mine. The dominating color is a form of grayish white. The entire place, on further inspection, looks like the inside of a trailer. There are canisters of liquid lining the shelves, and some kind of laptop which I've never seen before, on a table over by the window. Outside, I can see trees and grass. Okay, so I'm not in Hell, I'm not in Star Wars and I'm not in my present time. I must have been in some kind of coma for at least five years, because I've never seen this kind of equipment before. Oh, and of course, there is the doctor and assistant right next to me, looking kind of anxious while turning over the head restraint to the doctor. Okay, looks like the good doc wants to say something;

"How are you feeling?"

"Gaarraupe hasa doooian heir?" Dafuq did just come out off my mouth?

"Melissa, I thought I told you to take him off the drugs. I mean listen to him, his tongue is completely lame" the older doctor, who I'd guess is somewhere in the sixties, looks at her younger assistant with sort of an amused look.

"Yes ma'am, cutting off the supply now." As she says this, she moves over to my bedside and unhooks some tubes filled with some strange liquid. While my jaw and tongue are awakening, I take a closer look at my two revivers'; both are clad in some kind of bodysuit, looking strangely familiar, but still very strange.

"Thak you… thank you. Not to sound rude or something, but would one of you care to tell me where- "Then I see it. The older doctor is holding a piece of electronic hardware. But not just any kind of hardware... it's looks like something I've seen before... in a game I think... why is this so familiar? I... I know that I've seen that thing before. It isn't from anywhere I've been before, as far as I remember, but where.

_OH GOD!_

I suddenly realize just where I've seen this particular piece of tech... but... but that can't be real. This can't be real! There is no way I can actually be here... I mean, that was all just a game right? I'm probably not even dead, but still asleep at home. Yeah, Yeah that's right! I can't actually be... here.

I feel sick.

Very sick... _Oh no!_

"Bu -Bucke!" I turn my head away from the two doctors, as this surging feeling, like a wave or something rolls through my body. I then proceed to paint the wall next to me. With puke, that is. I just keep going, throwing up more than I can even remember having eaten for the past weeks. It just keeps comming, and there is no stopping it... when at last I must have emptied my entire body of anything not glued to the insides, I gasp for air. It tastes like my own puke. the tow doctors are obviously not used to this reaction to waking up. I don't give a shit. I have never felt this bad before. _Someone just kill me!_

_"Now that would be counter-productive"_

_"Shut the Hell up! Can't you see what the f**k has just happened!?"_

_"You threw up?"_

_"No you stupid idiot! you shot me into an entirely new universe! You shot me into a game! I don't want to be here! I want to go home! My... My parents! What... are they dead?!"_

_"We are 200 years in the future..."_

_"Oh for fucks Sake! Nooooo! No for fucks Sake! this can't be real! it's all a dream! A nightmare! For the Love of God! I... I..."_

More comes out, though this time, it's purely fluids... It stinks. And burns.

"I think I'm gonna-"are the last words I say before losing conscience again.

_"All of them... Mom, Dad, Nicolai... they're all dead... now what?"_

_"You chose this. Now you must leave your old life behind."_

_"Shut up! This is all your fault!"_

_"It wasn't me who rode my bike in front of the train... but I'm sorry if it means anything"_

That helps a little.

_"What do I do?"_

_"Try to adjust to this new place. It is one you know after all."_

_"So... this really IS the Mass Effect universe?"_

_"Yes..."_

_"Okay"_

I hear the voices return... He is right. I have to live with my choice. It wont help anything to go into a spasm over what was... but still...

"… Did you do?"

"Me?! I didn't do anything! I just unhooked the damn tubes"

"Well, something made him faint, and look at the heart rates! They are insane! It almost looks like he's having a stroke! Give him something sedating before we have to revive him… again."

"Alright, let's see. This should do it…" when I regain conscience again, I can see through my almost closed eyes, the assistant moving in . She's holding… something. Wait, is that…

Shit! It's a needle!

"Oh Hell no!" I would have jolted up in bed, if it wasn't because my left leg was still in plaster, my body still strapped in, and my entire system of innards being completely empty.

"Oh, you are awake, good" the doc looks pleased. She DOES sneer at the smell of my stomach's content, however.

"There is no way in Hell or beyond you are sticking THAT thing in me" I yell, gesturing towards the woman with the needle. I may not be afraid of chitty chatting with Death, but needles? Go fuck yourself. It's strange really, I was once hit by a car on the highway, and the scariest thing during that time, was when the doctor wanted to sedate me with a needle. Half the cliental in the waiting area left, because my agonizing screaming and fearful shouting made them think that the doctor practiced woo do and torture. He actually received a lot of messages later, complaining about the treatment of patients. The most embarrassing part, is that that was only two years ago; an eighteen-year old boy, screaming like a little girl because of a sedating needle.

"Of course not, not now when you are awake. But it was just in case you had a stroke"

"So, I can put this away?" the assistant asks while looking at her boss.

"Yes Melissa."

Thank God.

"Soo… where am I?" I still have to ask, just to be sure.

"You don't remember?" the doc looks at me like I'm the friggin' Messiah._ Just f**king tell me! _

"Jesus no! I wouldn't ask if I knew it, would I?" That may have been a little to rough"Sorry, I'm just… really confused."

"It's okay, after what you've been through; you can't be expected to remember." She says, putting on a mother-hen like face.

"oh and Melissa, would you see to get someone to clean our patient's... waste from the floor?"

"Yes doctor." the assistant leaves for a short moment, and then returns and whispers something in the doc's ear.

"Sooooo… what did happen?" this is probably where they say I was dropped from the sky, through some kind of worm-hole.

"To be honest, we don't really know. We found you on the monorail, several bones broken and wearing strange clothes."

The monorail… could I be… no, but…

"Ehm, which country am I in? And what monorail?"

"Oh sorry, you asked about it before but then I forgot to-"she gets a soft jab from her assistant.

"You are on Eden Prime. More specifically, you are currently in the St. Michel hospital, or medicinal facility, but we plan to expand and..."

"Eden… Prime?!... Are you saying that I am on THE Eden Prime!?"

"Well, as far as I know, this is the ONLY Eden Prime" the doc says with a smile.

"Aaand what date is it?" please don't be too late, please don't be too late…

"We are currently in the year 2183, august 4. And the monorail you were asking about? That's our main connection to the various dig sites and the space port"

August 4. Dammit, they never said the months in ME1.

"Well private, you seem to be in one piece. Actually we were going to remove the plaster today, so you might as well get up."

"Okay I'll just… Private?" why the hell did she call me private?

"Well, that's what your dog tags say. Private Thomas Fisker… strange name, Scandinavian I guess… is that a wrong name?" she looks a little worried.

"No, no… I just don't remember being a private… am I a member of Alliance Military? If I am, that would just be the perfect reason to team up with Commander Shepard…

Fuck! I've completely forgotten about him… or is it her? I don't know, I created both male and female Shepards, so it can be either. Better ask.

"Well, you should be. Just have to get you some proper clothes first. I don't know much about style, but I know my daughter would call the clothes you were wearing, for "_totally passé". _Also, we can't seem to find you registered in the colony, do you live here?"

Dammit!

"Well, no. Just got here from Earth." Please buy it, buy it, buy iiit.

"Ah, there we go. Yes it seems you arrived here on the USS Malcolm."

Phew.

Wait what? I got here on a ship? This is just getting weirder and weirder by the second. I wonder if that creepy voice arranged any of th-

"_Why yes, of course I did. Couldn't just leave you here without a story."_

I swear, if I wasn't still strapped in, I would be clinging to the ceiling right now.

"Something wrong dear?" The doctor seems worried, and I notice beads of sweat rolling down my face, along with the beeping from the heart rate increasing in speed.

Oh, if she only knew.

"No, no I am fine, just a… hiccup." I try my best to smile naturally.

"_Dafuq are you doing here?! I thought it was one chat, then out off your way?"_

"_Oh I'm afraid not. See, it is my job to watch over you for at least two days after you regain conscience. And it's only been 24 minutes."_

"_Okay, gotta ask; why here?"_

"_Well, I wanted something great, and you are the best candidate for doing just that. Just not in your own world."_

"_So, I can never go back? It's like you said, no turning back?"_

"_Quite so, yes."_

"_Then, what happened to my family, my friends… my job?"_

"_Well, in THAT dimension, the paramedics pulled out a mangled corpse from under the train. They tried reviving you, but to no avail." _

"_Fuuck… So, was I buried?"_

"_Why yes, of course you were. It would be strange just to dump the body in the harbor, but perhaps that's the custom in Denmark?"_

"_No, of course not! I, well, I'm just curious as to how my closest handled it, is all."_

"_Well, they were not happy, I'll tell you that. But seeing as there is no way you 'll ever see them again, short of them dying and ending up here that is, I suggest you move on."_

Okay, I can see the logic in that, but they must have been destroyed after my death.

"_Yes, they never really got over it. Your father took to drinking, your mother… well. And your friend Magnus never really was the same again. There is one strange thing though… never mind. I'm sure you will find out later."_

"_What?! What is it?!"_

"_HELLO?!"_

The asshole is gone. Back to reality or whatever you call this place. The doc and Melissa are both staring at me…

"Well, can I get out of here?" why are they looking at me like that?

"Who were you talking to?" she eyes me like a shrink having just found the patient of a lifetime.

Oh Crap!

They heard it all? Well, at least my words. I doubt they heard the voice. Okay, gotta sell them a story… what to say, what to say? I am having a radio-chat with a friend? No, radios probably don't exist anymore…

"Erhh… I was just rehearsing something from a movie… I do that sometimes, and to tell you the truth, my friends hate it when I do that, but its kinda sub-conscious."

They just stare at me… fuck! They didn't buy it, what do I do no-

"Well, as long as you keep that on a minimum, I think we can send you on your merry way. "

Melissa moved up and began unbuckling the different straps holding me down. She keeps an eye at me all the time, as if she's expecting me to jump up and bite her a lá Hannibal Lector. Well, I suppose I would be a little nervous too, having watched a random guy going off about death, the past and burials with friends, topping it all off with yelling for an imaginary person.

"By the way, the person who found you by the monorail is waiting outside. I think she was pretty damn scared when she found you, all broken and battered a week ago. I can send her in if you are feeling ready for visitors. Oh, a word of advice. She will also be your commanding officer as long as you're stationed here, so try not to make a mortal enemy of her, alright?"

"Alright, I guess I'm ready to meet my new boss." The old one WAS kind of a dick anyway. Wonder how he handled my death. Bet he just went outside, planted a sign in the ground and wrote "help wanted" on it. Always was a bastard.

Wait, I've been here for a week? And Sovereign hasn't attacked yet? Damn I'm lucky as hell today. Well, aside from the fact that I died. Well that wasn't today, but I only first regained conscience, so those six or seven days don't really count.

Besides, there are more important stuff right now, as for example who the heck my commanding officer is gonna be. The doctor said a "she", but Ashley… nah, that'd be too good to be true. There is just no way in Hell that I'm gonna get Ashley as my…

"So, you up yet rookie?" the voice of a stern angel sings through the room. No… it cannot be. But still. I have to look. I swing my legs out of the bed, trying to sit instead of just lying down like a bag of hammers. I keep my eyes closed, savoring the excitement. I tilt my head and neck from left to right, enjoying the small cracks that come from doing just that after being down for too long. Then, I open my eyes.

There she is! Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, more beautiful than the game could ever make her. And still, she's the same as in the game. Clad in the white and pink armor that made her so iconic during the first and second game. She's leaning against the doorframe in a very cocky way. Her armor is showing of her forms and… no! Bad brain, shame. Don't think like that about someone you've only just met. Still, she is a welcome sight in this Hellhole of a trans-universial life.

Her dark hair is tied up in the same knot as in the game. Leaving all her face to be marveled upon. Her light and pink skin shines in the incoming light, making her eyes shine like diamonds. Huh, odd, they seem to be hassle-nut brown. Never noticed that in the game. Then again, her eyes weren't the thing I really noticed about her in the game, and I've gotta say, reality doesn't dissapoi- No! Bad brain! Not again. I hate my imagination.

"y-yes ma'am!" better sound like I'm actual military.

"No need to Ma'am and Chief me yet rookie, you're still not officially enrolled in this colony's military force. By the way, I never got your name. You weren't really in any condition to answer when I found you under the tracks."

"Thomas ma'am, Thomas Fisker. Though you may just call me Fisher, or Thomas I prefer Thomas, if you don't mind. I never did get your name by the way." Of course I know it, but I have to stick to the role.

"No, you didn't. I'm Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. But until we're in the field or training, you may just call me Ash or Chief. And by the way, you might wanna have your teeth cleaned... you smell like puke."

_Oh crap! _Not the best first impression...

I move out of bed, walking over to Ash, who, by now, has gotten off the wall and stand to greet me. She holds out her hand, which I, and I still can't believe this is happening, take and shake. I, Thomas Fisker, am shaking hands with one of the most badass women in gaming history. Better not faint again. Once was en-.

"Hey Thomas, you okay there?" I can tell by the voice that its Ash, and that she's smiling. I can sense that I'm not sitting on the bed again, or on the floor. Instead, I feel the sharp sun bearing down on me. Hmm, she must have moved me outside.

Shit! I fainted again. And right in front of Ashley Williams. Crap, now she probably thinks I'm some kind of weakling of something like that.

When I open my eyes, I find her standing right in front of the sun, leaning back against the medicinal facility. She's got that cocky smile on her face again, I know it even though I can't see it. Her silhouette reaches down, extending a hand for me to grasp. I grasp it, pulling myself on my feet again. Damn this is embarrassing.

"Well, I must have stood to fast" whoa, where did that come from? Won't argue that it sound good, but I didn't even think before speaking.

"Well alright then, how about I show you the colony, and we finish off by the barracks. That will, by the way, be your new home here."

_Finish off by the barracks? _Dammit brain stop that! Why do you keep conjuring up scenes where Ash and I… well, regardless, I know she is probably going to end up with Commander Shepard, her "skipper". Oup, Ash is looking at me with that cocky smile of hers. She gestures towards the center of the colony;

"Shall we?"

"After you my lady" I say with a grin.

When we finally make it back to the barracks, I don't really know what to say. She solves that problem by extending her hand again, and I grab it. Feeling the Kevlar, or whatever the stuff on her inside of her gauntlets is made of.

"Nice to meet you Thomas Fisher, although from tomorrow, you'll call me Chief." She gives me another one of her smiles. Damn, she was never in a mood this good in the game, before Shepard and her… well, never mind.

"And I guess you'll be calling me Private Fisher? By the way, when IS "get up time"? and when will dinner be served?" I smile at her. It really is hard not to smile when talking to this woman.

"Be up at 06:00. If not, there's no grub. Dismissed Private Fisher" another smile, what the Hell? Did someone change her personality? Oh well, she hasn't lost her squad yet, so I'm guessing that's what's gonna mess up her mood. She turns and leaves, undoubtedly going to finish some report. _Ahh, the benefits of low rank._

"_Indeed, you do seem to have adjusted remarkably well, given the place and time."_

Fuck! The voice is back!

"_Were you listening in on that?"_

"_Your thoughts, your arousement over her forms, or your conversation?"_

"_Dafuq!? All of those!"_

"…_. No." _the fuck? The voice can lie? And even better, or worse, it can get embarrassed?!

"_Besides, you really need to stop swearing that much"_

"_Who the hell are you? my moth… never mind!" _this is starting to piss me of, but as long as I focus on only thinking what I say to this stalker, I should be able to avoid weird looks.

"_you must admit, it was interesting to have an actual conversation with someone who were just pixels on a screen a few weeks ago. Or do you still think this is a game?"_

"_Of course it was interesting! Don't know if you noticed, but I kind of fainted twice back there!"_

And it really was shaking, when thinking about it; having a normal conversation with Ashley Williams, was like fist-bumping Cpt. Price. Not that I would ever leave this universe to find out. I've had just about enough inter-dimensional travel for one life, thank you very much.

"_You're welcome"_

"_For #¤ sake! I'll let you know when I'm thinking to you. Stay out of my private thoughts, alright?"_

"_As you wish, my master" _and with that, the voice is gone. Temporarily that is.

Did he just call me master? Nahh, he must be messing with me again.

Oh well, onwards to a good night sleep. I just hope I don't have any nightmares... I don't know how much more my mind can take.

* * *

**Well guys, how did you like the meet-up with Ash?**

**remember to review me, and tell me if this was a load of BS, or something worth continuing. **


	3. Boot camp

**Alright guys, I'm gonna give Eden Prime as much time as possible, instead of just skipping right to the attack.**

**Hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

**Boot camp**

06:00

Well, that was not what I would call a relaxing night's sleep. I dreamt, not about my family or my friends, but, you guessed it; Ash. And besides, those kinds of dreams usually don't involve that many donkeys.

"_Well, I can't see your dreams. What happened?"_

Well, morning to you too;

"_We… we were on hollyday in Mexico, and we rented too many donkeys. And it made a lot of noise."_

"_Oh, so that's why you mumbled things in your sleep like like: "oh Ash" and "no wait, not yet" and don't forget the "a little low-"_

"_YES, thank you for the resume, but it's none of your business!"_ Dammit, I hate it when he does those things. But, he's not entirely wrong. I don't know what the hell is happening with me, but for some reason, I can't stop thinking about that smile of hers. It really is annoying, when combining that with the knowledge that I'm gonna see her running around with Commander Shepard, like a dog in a leash… whoa, where did that thought come from? That was almost negative towards a man that I haven't even met yet. Still, they ARE meant for each other. I mean, she is the only human LI for Shepard in the first game, and me? I'm a grunt with no past. At least, not as far as she is concerned. How could I ever even begin to compare myself to the Great Commander Shepard, hero of the Alliance, Survivor, war hero or a ruthless man? Okay, gotta straighten up.

I live with around twenty other dudes, none of who seems particularly cheerful that the new guy in town hears voices. Oh yeah, of course the doc's assistant couldn't keep quiet about it, but HAD to spill the beans to her boyfriend, who happens to be the guy sleeping just over me. We all sleep in bunk-beds, meaning that there are ten of those things lining the walls in here. As the alarm sounds, we all rush out of bed, some falling from their beds up top. It was hilarious watching them curse and swear as they got up, but I kept that to myself. No use in getting enemies on day one. There is one decent bloke though. He's a South African, or he descents from South Africans who moved to this colony. Anyway, his name is Bolin D'nang. Don't know if that was a common name back in the 21'century, but now it seems to be. Wonder if I'll meet fucked up names like that when I get to the Citadel. Well, Udina is a pretty weird name too, so I shouldn't be so surprised. He doesn't seem to bother with the stories about me, but he did ask me about it last night. He and some other guys were playing cards, and asked me to join in. I did, and we had a talk. Mostly it was about how well I "knew" the Chief, seeing as I spent the entire day with her. Then, they started talking about what's under her armor, and I left the conversation.

Pervs.

Though, the only reason I didn't wonder about it I guess, is because I saw the scene between her and Shepard in the game.

"Well lads, let's go greet our delicious buffet" one of the guys says.

"Let's hope it's better than yesterday. I hate oatmeal." Another replies.

Oatmeal, they've got oatmeal here! Yes, I love that stuff. Although, the guys comments makes me a little worried. What if they spoil my only memory of oatmeal in this universe? That would suck.

The mess hall is in an adjacent building, right next to the barracks. It's kind of a small place, considering the colony's armed forces consist of twenty men here, and some drivers for the Mako. Yeah, they've got a Mako here. Wonder why they never showed that in the game. I guess the geth destroyed it in the first assault wave. Reminds me, I've got to have a talk with Ash about stocking up on disrupter rounds… wonder if they even have those yet. I hope so. I don't feel like facing down geth without something to fry their systems.

We go for the plates by the wall, and I discover that this design, the plates that is, hasn't changed a bit since my time in Homeland Security. The grub, or oatmeal, is every bit as disgusting as they told me. It tastes like ashes, and looks like tapestry-glue. Good lord, this better be healthy as hell, or I'm gonna hurt the chef. The other guys must have been here for a while, because where I'm complaining, and close to puking, they just eat in silence. Well, this morning is just fu- oh wait, Ash is coming towards our table. She too, is carrying a bowl of the "delicious" oatmeal. When she sits down, she gives a more modest smile than yesterday. Wonder if she only smiles like that when off duty;

"Morning guys"

"Morning Chief" I say, trying to keep up a smile, all the while my stomach is trying to get rid of it's newly found enemy; "Doctor Oatmeal".

"Fisher, I trust you found your way into the barracks, shouldn't be too hard as I left you just outside. Or perhaps you found it cozier to sleep under the monorail again". There's the cocky smile I missed, and of course her reply results in a lot of laughter.

"Yeah, or maybe he just went for a chat with his "invisible" friend. My girl told me that he has conversations with…" the douchebag from the bunk above me says, but he is cut off by a cold stare from Ash. God I love that girl… wait what? Erhh, that just came out. And it isn't because I meant it or anything. Man, I may not be socially awkward in speech, but thank the maker that no one can hear my thoughts.

"_I can."_

"_Yeah, well you don't count as a human. And what's with the "no good morning Thomas?"_ I decide to have a little fun with him while Ash berates the asshole.

"_Oh, wasn't aware that was part of the job. If you want, I can make a daily wakeup-call at six-o-clock. That should get you up on time"_ crap, did he actually mean it last night when he called me "master"? That would be awesome. If so, I might just keep him as a reminder, or a secretary.

"_Well, if that is what you wish, I will "stick around" so to speak. You just won't have as much privacy as before."_

"_Well I can always just turn you on and off, right?"_

"_Right?"_ gone. Dammit, I hate it when he does that.

After the "luxurious" dinner, we head back to the barracks. Or the guys do, Ash gives me a "come hither" finger. I'm beginning to doubt that what they taught me about her in the game can be used here.

"Alright rookie, since you don't have any armor or weapons, you'll be heading for the armory now. Just down the street here, and to your left. Look for the sign that says "Bob's guns". He has a deal with the colony's XO, to supply our troops with standard hardware. Just tell him Ash sent you, and he'll get you outfitted. When done, come back here and head for the shooting range. That's _that_ way." While she says this, she points at a large field where some targets are placed.

"Alright, armor, guns and shooting range. Got it"

"Got it...?" she asks. Oh, I know what to say now.

"Got it, Ma'am." Hope that was the right answer.

"Good, now go, if it takes you more than thirty minutes, I'll be back there, hauling your ass back myself."

_Oh, she could haul my- Dammit brain, I told you to stop that!_

"_Well, it seems that since I'm staying, I should take on the role as your bad conscience."_

"_Err, I guess that could work" _having my own Devil and Angel on my shoulders, could prove to be a good thing. Or, it could give me skitzofrenia. Either way, I win.

So, I'm in this armory, and the guy, Bob I guess, is outfitting me with a light-armor hard-suit, telling me to stand still. More like "Stand still for the love of God!" than just a, "stand still". I don't recognize the armor, but Bob tells me that it's a hydra model. And then I'm given this helmet, and I swear; it's the most awesome piece of tech I've ever laid my eyes on. Not only is it sealed and works as a space helmet, it is also completely bulletproof, fire resistant and comes with a HUD and shield-meter. Furthermore, it can be directly linked to my Omni tool. That's right; I am now the proud owner of an Omni tool. This thing is just amazing. The bluebox itself is no larger than a big wristwatch, but when turned on, it becomes the telltale arm-covering ignited set of screens and holographic buttons. I always thought this thing was just a hologram, but it's actually a small computer, an extranet-connection, a radio and a dozen or so miniature 3D-printers, capable of spewing out fire, ice or electrocuting things. That is, if you have the right upgrades. If given the chance, I'll have to ask Tali to help me with this thing. It also comes with a digital watch. Speaking of which, the clock tells me that it's about time to head for the training fields.

"Oi lad, where are you goin'?" the big burley amorer asks me.

"I'm going to the shooting range, the rest of the squad is waiting for me" I thought he should know that.

"And what be ya' goin to shoot with?" okay, I love Irish, but his accent is borderline ridiculous.

"With my rifle of course, what el… you haven't given me a rifle yet, have you?" I was so focused on the armor, that I completely forgot about the weapon, which is strange, considering that Bob is now delivering my baby into my hands: A brand new, fully functional, completely authentic "Lancer" assault rifle. I never saw this in Mass Effect 2, so I guess that it's a Mass Effect 1-only gun. Well, it looks like the M-8 Avenger, so if it works the same way, I won't be complaining. Not that I am now; I've just been outfitted with gear that would make "Ghost Recon" seem like cavemen. He also gives me a very special little gun: a Raikou Pistol. At first I think it's a Carnifex, or perhaps a Predator, but Bob looks at me and says;

"Ay lad, that's a Raikou Pistol. Fresh out of production, and punches dinner-plate-sized holes in anyone stupid or unlucky enough to be in front of them. That be, if they are unarmored. So try using it as a last stand choice, instead of ye primary firearm." He looks like someone presenting their daughter for marriage with a prince.

"Alright, can I go now?" I ask, all the while I'm strapping the gun to my side, and the rifle to my back. Man, gotta love magnetic straps. I don't have to worry about tying up my guns, just clasp them on, and you're good to go.

"Sure lad, come see me if you get some spare change. Everything can always use an upgrade."

Alright, better get down to the range before -

"Rookie, what's taking so long?" and there we have it. If I'm not down there in one sec, I'm never gonna hear the end of this.

"Coming now Chief, Bob just had to polish me one last time" I receive a look from Bob that's supposed to be an angry stare, but erupts into a smile. Though, I know that if I don't leave soon, and he gets the blame, that IS gonna be an angry stare. I turn out the door, and jog back towards the fields of Eden Prime. Dammit, I don't think I'll ever get used to that sentence.

Eden Prime

Eden Prime

Eden Prime… nope, still gives me the chills. After having run for about ten seconds, I can't help but notice that this armor is f**king heavy. How the hell Ash and the others can run in these things is beyond me. Better ask her when I get there. Speaking of which the sound of steady and repeated gunfire is getting closer. And as I turn the corner of a pre-fab building, I see about ten lines of armored dudes, two and two. Lining up shots and firing bursts with their own Lancers. And behind them, shouting directives and corrections, is Ash. I mean, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. Damn, its hard not just calling her Ash. Guess it's only for the time being. When we meet up with Commander Shepard and take out the geth… geth. I had forgotten about them. The hell do I do, I can't just let everyone else get slaughtered in a surprise attack. But, what CAN I do. I mean, it's not like I have a massive gun shooting reaper-laser. I've got a wimpy rifle, and an even wimpier pistol. A few geth, sure I can handle that. But a doomsday machine that would make God himself piss hiss pants? Na'ah, that wasn't part of the contract… or the arsenal for that matter.

Speaking of guns and such, Ash is looking at me and pointing towards a booth with only one dude in it. 'Guess I'm supposed to go have a shot at this. Get it, "have a shot?" Ahh, who am I kidding, I'm only fun when around Death… or whoever the hell he actually is. Alright, better go see how good a shot I actually am. Mind you, I haven't held a gun since my time in Homeland Security. And that was small side arms, and the occasional rifle. And even then, I sucked ass. When firing down range, I was more likely to sending the sprays of bullets everywhere but at the target. Oh well, I just hope the future has some kind of aim assist like in the game. If not, I'm screwed. As I line up the target, I picture it to be the head f that douche from the bunk above me. Even though it's just a random target. They don't know to expect geth yet, so that's understandable.

Okay… time to find inner peace, or whatever works.

_Aim down your sights, niiiice and easy. Breath in…. breath out… in….. out…_

_Press the trigger, nice and slow. Be ready for some kickba-_

_**Babababang! **_

_Okay, that was a lot better than I thought. There's practically no recoil on this thing. Must be something to do with eezo. Everything's got something to do with eezo these days._

Time to take a look at what I actually hit. Hmm… a fine spray across the legs of the cardboard figure. Well, I crippled him. That's always something._ Okay, that just sounded wrong_. Never the less, it's a lot better than I feared. I was of course, hoping for pure headshots, but what the Hell I at least hit the damn thing. Now, looking around me, everybody's left. Guess it's time for dinner. Hope it's something eatable this time. Not much for eating glue again. I mean, seriously, we can have spaceships and laser guns, but the food still sucks?! What the Hell is up with that?

As I turn to leave as well, I find Ash's hand on my breastplate. Her eyes lock with mine. Such nice brown colors.

"_Ouh, what does this mean?"_

"_Well, it could imply that she has some feelings for you, and want to, what do you call it, kiss?"_

"_Well, I certainly wouldn't… the hell; I wasn't even speaking... thinking to you. Please try keeping out of any thoughts concerning the certain female in front of me, okay?"_

"Rookie, I don't recall giving you leave just yet" Her "officer voice" cuts through my train of thoughts. Okay, she isn't going to smother me. Too bad, we ARE alone and… no! Brain for Krosis sake, I swear, why do you keep making those scenes, and thinking those words!?

"ma'am?" I say, trying to sound as soldier-like as I can, with a beautiful woman's hand on my chest.

"Well, while you took your sweet time in the armory, the rest of the boys had at least ten rounds each. You are to do the same, or you'll run the colony's perimeter in full armor." Her voice still has that sternness to it, but I can see the hint of that good ol' cocky smile through her helmet.

"Yes ma'am." Better not press my luck. Never been that much of a "people's person", so I don't want to suddenly insinuate something, and then get a fist to the face.

So, the next thirty minutes goes with shooting, cooling the gun and shooting. I'm turning this range into a downright cardboard massacre. After some time, I remember the jog from the armory to here, and how hard it was;

"Chief, I've got a question if I may?" okay, better not sound like some nerd with no practical experience.

"Yes Rookie?" okay, guess we're still in soldier-commander mode.

"I noticed on the way to here from the armory, that this suit is heavy as hell, and it's a LIGHT version. Is there some way to make the armor relieve some of that burden, or is the answer just a "get in better shape" kind of answer?"

"Both, actually. You do have some servo-motors in the back of the armor, right here where the blue lights are." She turns around and points at her own back, but as her hand is coming from the top, pointing down, I can't help but follow that line down to her nice bu- Brain, you f**king perv!

"Yes ma'am. And the other half of the answer?"

"Well, that's just a matter of getting in a better shape, get used to the weight of that armor, and one day you'll be able to do acrobatics with it on" she gives me a smile. Dammit, it's almost like she reads my thoughts, and is toying with me. But oh no, I won't be bea-

_**Blaaaraaaaaaaaarrrr!**_

"The hell was that?!" Ash screams, and I can't help but almost piss myself. Fuck! Sovereign! Not already!?

"Get the hell out of here!" I hear people scream, as they point into the sky. I look up, even though I already know what I'm gonna see.

There it is. The enormous Reaper, bearing down on the colony. It's much, much bigger than in the game, and in contrary to the game, there is a real risk of it killing you here.

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUUUUUCK!" I yell, while I, as if on instinct just grab Ash's hand, and pulls her the Hell away from where we are now. As we pass the barracks, Ash stops dead in her tracks;

"Thomas! We have to rally the others and defend the colo-"Ash's speech is cut short as a ray of doom emits from the gigantic robot-squid. That's right, I said robot-squid. When you actually look at a reaper, and I don't mean in the Japanese run-and-look-back-style; it looks like a giant robotic squid that shoots laser. I stand and look in awe. That such a monster can even lift off, is nothing short of amazing. The red beam cuts through the mess hall and the medical facility. I hear short screams of pain and terror from the facility. Then, they're silent. I turn my head as I hear screams and shots coming from the barracks. Then, all is quiet in there as well…

"I don't like this" Ash says. Well, me neither, but I have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Footsteps are coming from inside, and some part of me still expect some of our guys to emerge from the thick smoke that flows from the entrance. Instead, I hear the all too familiar stuttering sound.

"Oh crap!"

"What the hell was that sound?"

"Don't think about that, just run!" Ash looks at me in a way I'll never forget. She thinks I wan't to abandon the guys!

_Hell, Bolin was in there, and he was a decent guy. I liked him, but I have to face that he, and everyone else in there, is dead._

"What do you mean run, we have to find out what - "her speech is cut short as a burst of shots emit from the smoke, hitting her in the leg. It tore through her shields, and embedded a five or six slugs in her.

"Aarrgg! Fuck!" she is down on one knee, holding a bleeding wound in the thigh. Crap, there is no way I'm leaving her here, but she can't run like this. Oh well, guess there's nothing for it. I get down on one knee, and start to lift her up on my shoulders like a bag of potatoes.

"Oh Hell No you're not! I can still- hnngg! - walk" she tries to stand up, but the leg won't support her. At least there is no danger of her bleeding out. The medi-gel takes care of that problem. Thank God for technology.

"Sorry Chief, but you can't walk, and I'm not leaving you here for the synthetics to slaughter."

"… alright, just… get us out of here. "She resigns, and I pick her up like before.

Crap, she's too heavy. Gotta try something else.

"Hey Chief, Ash?" I look at her as she sits on the ground, taking shots at the geth as they appear from the building.

"What?!" she says, gritting her teeth because of the pain.

"I can't carry you, too damn heavy. But if you could lean on me, I could get you out of here."

"Fine, just get me up" her anger is evident, although I'm sure it's pointed at the geth, not me. Alright;

"Alleiup!" I say as I pick her up and put my left arm under her shoulder. I can still use my right arm, but I can't lift my rifle with just one hand. Good thing Bob also gave me a pistol. I draw the handgun as we retreat through the colony's dig site, and through a set of very familiar openings in the walls. As we turn the corner of one of them, I see a group of three geth standing around where the beacon used to be. Guess the geth and Saren moved it already. I lean out of cover, and line up one of the flashlight heads. None of them notice me until a head disappears in a burst of white fluid and sparks. "_Boom! Headshot!"_ I imagine Garrus would say here.

"_Try to focus on the enemy, and leave out the future" _my "Angel on the shoulder" says.

"_Yeah, yeah I've got it" _I say, a little annoyed over his lack of belief in my skills.

"What have you got?" Ash's voice sounds beside me.

Shit, 'must have thought out loud again.

"Nothing Ash, just keep your pretty eyes open" Dammit, did I just say that?

"Okay, don't need to worry about me though; I'm not going anywhe- watch out!" As she yells that last bit, I feel the heat of a rocket pass inches from my helmet. Had it been slow motion, I could probably have seen myself in that thing. I turn up from the ground, done looking after the rocket as it burrows itself into the wall with a bang. My arm is getting really tired from having the gun constantly lifted. But I can't let down just yet. Have to… make it to that hill where the commander will find us. Then, we'll be safe until we descend again. Just have to -

"Argh! Doch Madebosté!1" a feeling like someone trusted a rod of searing metal through my leg, starts burning and swelling in my lower left shin. Fuck, my shields must have been worn out without my notice. Dammit, I thought the computer in this friggin helmet told you about it when your shields was being torn up. I look down to see the strange sight of a strange transparent liquid seeping through the hole in my leg. _Must be the medi-gel_, which would also explain why Ash wasn't crying with pain from the gunshot wound she got earlier. The pain was staring to ebb away, as the miraculous liquid stopped the bleeding and provide the painkillers. Man, I say i again; gotta love Mass Effect technology.

We're past the outer openings of the dig site and the geth are right behind us. Not only can I hear their constant stuttering, but their laser-slug-things keep missing by a hairbreadth. The ground is almost literally on fire around me. But I can't stop to shoot back. Gotta get to that rock formation from the game. I just can't see… wait, there it is! Just ten meters in front of me, the telltale rock wall raises up, almost beckoning us, offering cover from the laser. Alright, we've just got a few more meters until…

The faraway sound of a rocket being fired reaches my ears. I look back, and see it coming right towards me.

No time to dodge.

I throw Ash to the side, and a second later… I'm flying through the air. As I hit the very rock that moments ago promised us safety, I start slipping away.

"Thomas!" I hear the faint and distant cry of… someone. I can't seem to… remember…

I can hear shooting… from this… side.

Then all is blackness.

* * *

**left you guys with an actual cliffhanger there. I know, I'm eveil, but not as evil as some other authors I vould mention. You, you know who you are... **

**And I'm doing my best to turn out these thing as fast as quality alows it. **

**comments are welcome, as it's the only way I'll know if my work is worth anything.**

* * *

1 Doch Madeboste! = for Fucks sake!

Krosis = God/divine being. Skyrim reference.


	4. New Friends

**Alright guys, we're back! in this chapter we finally meet Shepard. Will Ash have surived Eden Prime, or did she die afterall?**

* * *

**New friends**

Damn, my body feels like shit. And it's only been a little over twenty-four hours since my last ass kicking. Better not turn this into a habit. Wait a sec. I am alive. I don't remember much, short of being the first man to fly without wings. And that scream. Someone was screaming my name. Or my first name. Never did tell Ash my whole name. If I ever see her again, I will. Well, this time, I don't think I'm tied up in straps and plaster, gaze and whatever else they could use to tie me up. I do feel a bit weird though, as if on drugs. Not that I've ever done drugs. I just meant that… well, okay; there was once at this party this cool guy who said that -

"_I thought you said you never did any drugs?" _well, the voice is still there, but that isn't exactly a calming sign. On the other hand, I have someone to talk to while figuring out if opening my eyes will be worth the trouble. It is so cozy just lying here, feeling the soft mattress under my back. I can't think of anything better right now. And for once, my pervy brain isn't acting up. Guess the drugs are keeping the bastard at bay.

"_Yeah, well I meant recently…"_

"_And how "recent" was this episode?" _

"_Erhh, two years ago?"_

"_Oh really?"_

_Dammit, am I getting a third-degree by a ghost… voice… thing, you know?_

"_Who knows? Me?"_

"_No- no one, it's just a matter of speaking. Like "fish in a barrel" or "piece of cake"?"_

"_Are you saying that there's a phrase about dessert? That's preposterous"_

"_And getting a third-degree from a ghost isn't?" _I can't help but smile.

"Doctor Chakwas, look; he's smiling." Somewhere out there, a familiar voice speaks up.

Oh well, guess brain-chat is over for now.

"Yes, I think we can thank the armor for the fact that he didn't break his spine during that flight" another voice says. This one familiar as well. Just in another way. It's like I've heard it before. It's female, that much I can tell.

"Well, let's see if we can't get Wonder-boy here to open his eyes." Wait a minute. Now I remember that other voice. It's doctor Karin Chakwas. The medicinal officer aboard the Normandy. But wait. That means I must have missed the entire "Saren-shoots-Nihlus-and-tries-to-take-the-beacon" thing. Dammit, I just hope the commander will let me and Ash stay. I don't much like the idea of spending the Mass Effect series on the Citadel only. _Alright, time to shine._

I open my eyes, slowly as to adjust them to the light in the room. After having spent so much time starring at my closed eyelids, the dim light in the med-bay seems like looking into the sun.

"He's waking up" the female voice, who I've now recognized to be Ash, says. Thank God she made it. Truth be told, when that rocket hit me, the only thought in my mind was whether or not I had managed to save her.

"Hey Chief. What's up?" great, I can speak normally, in opposite to last time I woke up in a med-facility. Ash looks at me. She has a smile, warm rather than cocky on her lips. Those perfectly soft kissable… great, my pervy brain is back. Oh well, guess I can't blame it. Waking up to a beautiful girl after performing heroics… that's what being a hero feels like. I think.

"Crap you had me worried the Thomas." Huh? Using my first name now are we? "I don't really know what to say; you carry through swarms of geth, fight your way to where Shepard found us and" so Shepard found us!? _Yes! That means things worked out after all_ "and then you took a rocket while getting me to safety. I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you"

"_Oh I can think of something" _The voice suddenly says.

"_What?! You too? Isn't it bad enough that my brain is corrupt, now you're a perv too? What kind of conscience ARE you?"_

"_Sorry, but being hooked up to your brain takes its toll on me"_

"_Besides… wait, how can it do that if you couldn't hear my "pervy" thoughts? Were you listening all along?!"_

"… _No"_

You've gotta be kidding me; now even my conscience is pervy. Oh well, back to looking around. There is some sort of figure lying on another one of the beds, and though I can't make out any features at all, he or she appears to have some kind of long hair back from the head. It's tied in some kind of knot that almost makes it look like a tube. The good doc is standing above me, reading a data pad, likely holding info about my injuries;

"Well Doc, give me the worst of it" I say while looking Dr. Chakwas straight in the eye. She looks at me with a smile that I could almost believe was some kind of pride.

"Well mister Fisher, you should be ready to get up when you want to. You suffered severe burns on both feet and legs and lost all skin from the knees and down. I applied some artificial skin-spray that helped speed recovery, so as long as you don't put too much strain on them, you should be just fine. The bullet that went through your leg went out again, and it didn't hit the artery. You had a fracture in the left arm from the fall, and a concussion. But after two days of rest, you are pretty much up and jumping when you want to… Shepard however…" _wait; don't tell me that Commander Shepard was killed!_

"_Well, THAT would provide something of a canon-breaker"_

"_You could say that again"_

"Is the commander alright?" I ask without thinking. _Dammit! How can I know that he's a commander?_

"Commander? I don't think he's a commander. He hasn't told us yet anyway. Ash and Nihlus, our turian spectre, carried him back. Apparently, he lost conscience after the Prothean artifact hit him."

_Wait, whoa whoa WHOA! Nihlus is ALIVE!?"_

"_looks like there were some canon-breakers regardless."_

"_And what did she mean by "Commander?" and "hasn't told us yet"?" I thought he was a commander from the start of the game"_

"_Hmm… better ask her. That's the best way as far as I can see."_

"_Right…."_

"Ehm Doc, what do you mean by "he's not a commander?" it WAS commander Shepard who saved us, right?"

""Commander Shepard?" Oh dearest no my dear, I don't think he was a commander among the Migrant Fleet. He's just above 24 years old."

"A…. Quarian?" I ask, my jaw hanging down all the way from my head to the floor. I can't believe this. This is more of a canon-fuck up than I could have ever imagined; Not only is Shepard not a commander, he's not even human!

"Doctor Chakwas, look at his heart signs! He's…."

I faint. Again.

"_Well, this gives us some private time until they revive you." _The voice says thoughtfully.

"_Revive me!? Did I die again?!" _crap!

_Well, you had a stroke, but they are finding the CPR and reviving pads now, so it shouldn't be long before you are breathing again."_

"_Oh crap… So Shepard is a Quarian?" _

"_Yeah, but it's not all bad. They apparently saved Nihlus. Even though that is gonna fuck up canon, he should be able to convince the council despite the fact that Shepard is a Quarian."_

"_Well fuck me! This is still a load of BS"_

"_Well, I've got two good news for you though."_

"_Oh yeah? Shoot." It better be good. This is almost as bad as if Saren sent assassins after me personally._

"_Well, first of, since Ash is xenophobic, she won't be interested in him." _

"_Alright, good. And the other?" _

"_She's giving you mouth-to-mouth as we speak."_

_Holy Shit!_

Now, I could lie, saying that I woke up, and gently pressed her lips against mine, sharing a passionate and long kiss, and then proceeding to make sweet love on the sick-bed, while everyone else in the room had just vanished. Then, we would be married, and I would be the new commander Shepard. But, I'll give you the truth;

I wake up on the spot, pressing up my head as Ash is trying to get hers away. For the briefest moment our lips meet… and then I proceed to head bang her, almost knocking her on her ass with a surprised yelp. Damn, that was way more sudden than I'd like, but I didn't exactly control my way of waking up.

"Well… thanks Ash… for errhh… waking me up and….sorry about that" Christ, I don't think I've ever been this embarrassed. I feel the temperature on my face rise to over a hundred degrees, and I bet I'm more red than a stoplight right now. And it isn't because it was something unpleasant. Oh no, it certainly must have been very pleasant indeed, just couldn't feel anything since I was unconscious. It's just that she might misinterpret it. I don't know how, but in some way.

"Don't mention it" she says with a smile. Though something tells me that she means it. Alright, not mentioning it to anyone.

"So, what's this about a turian?" I ask. For the first time, the question is completely genuine. I have no idea what happened with Nihlus.

"I don't really know what happened. We'll have to ask either him or Sheppard when… Ahh, speak of the sun. Look, he's waking up." And she's right, the Quarian on the bed next to me is moving, trying to sit up straight. I take a look at him. His suit or his clothes are mostly dark colors. I read in the codex once, that the suit represents the wearer in some way. I hope his colors doesn't mean he's a serial killer, or an incredibly moody guy. Oh well, only one way to find out I guess.

As I think this, I hear the _swoosh_ of the med bay doors opening. In steps Nihlus, the turian the game scripted to die on Eden Prime. He looks absolutely AWESOME! His face, and the bones or hard skin that covers it, is like chiseled in stone, or cast in steel. His brown face paint is only broken by the stripes of white cutting horizontally across. Or is it just gaps in the paint? I don't know.

"How are our guests doctor?" his voice, oh that voice! It's like hearing a robot and another man talking at the exact same time. His constant self-control makes him look like a robot when he runs his eyes across the room. Glad I know he's a good guy.

"Well, Private Fisher and Chief Williams are both up and running. Although Fisher had a stroke just earlier, when he learned that his savior was a Quarian. For some reason he also thought that the Shepard was a commander. This, I blame on the shock from the explosion. He kept mumbling about Commander Shepard and "reapers" in his sleep, which I also blame on the shock.

"Reapers eh? I think our guest has read too many sci-fi's." _Oh you have noooo idea mate._ "And about Shepard, I would think it proper that I thank him in person, after he save my life." _Whoa, so the Quarian Shepard saved Nihlus?_ "I still can't figure out why Saren would try to kill me. He's a spectre, and a friend. But when I saw him aim a gun at me, I knew what his intentions were. Besides, there WAS this strange blue glow in his eyes, something I've never seen before." As he speaks these last words, he looks over at Shepard, the Quarian. Man, I think I need some time to cope with this._ Okay, Shepard is a Quarian… that's probably another canon-break I'm in some way responsible for. So, might as well deal with it, and let him know that my surprise is NOT because I'm a racist._

"Uhhrr… what happened" a voice suddenly interrupts my thoughts. Shepard has completely awakened, and if he got the vision, I can imagine he might be confused as hell. Still, he probably saved my life there, so might as well go and help him. I get up from my bed, and the second my feet hit the floor, I can feel the over sensitiveness that comes with having your feet only partially covered by skin. The others make way for me, followed by doctor Chakwas as we walk to Shepards bed. He shakes his head, and nods slowly when he sees us.

"Doctor Chakwas. I remember you. And who's this? The marine I found on Eden Prime?" he turns towards me. "I saw you go down, throwing the Chief to the side as the rocket hit you. I am honestly impressed that you chose her safety before your own".

"Yeah well, I didn't really think about it… and I wondered where the gunfire I heard before I lost conscience came from. That was you?" I ask, as I DID hear gunfire, but I wasn't sure if it had been Ash opening fire again.

"No, it was your miss Williams here; she sat up after you threw her, and nailed the geth that shot you."

"So, if you didn't kill any geth, how are you still alive?" I ask, seeing it as Shepard couldn't have simply beaten up the geth with his bare fists.

"Who said I didn't kill any geth? I just used my knives on them. Combined with my biotics, they are quite efficient, and I can collect them when done." He says this while he cracks his knuckles, something that makes me think he actually enjoys killing things. Besides… whoa, did he just say biotics?

"I'm sorry to interrupt you there Shepard, but did you just say biotics? As in "I'm a biotic"?"

He gives me this stare as to determine whether I'm playing him for a fool, or at least I think so. While the helmets of the Quarians are more transparent than in the game, they are still hard to see through. All I can see is his eyes narrowing;

"Yes, I'm a biotic. I can understand your surprise, there are only a very few biotics among my people, but I'm one of them. Hasn't always been to my advantage, but I'm still alive. Besides, if the Threshers on Akuze couldn't finish me, a few geth certainly can't."

Strange, in the game, the commander was always torn up about his dead squad on Akuze. Maybe I should ask him about that later. But right now, I want to know what happened after I lost conscience.

"So, after you saved Ash, what happened next?" I look at him, hoping that I'll get an answer, instead of Nihlus interrupting. Luckily, Shepard seems keen to discuss it;

After we had the Normandy collect you, Ashley and I continued back towards the colony. We encountered some kind of human husks, possibly the former colonists. We met some who had managed to hide inside one of the prefab-units, and they told us about the beacon. Apparently, the turian Saren, who tried to kill Nihlus, was after it as well. When we came over the hill, I could see the two of them talking down there. Nihlus had turned his back to Saren, and let his guard down. It was only because I managed to plant a thrown knife in the bosh'ted's arm, that Nihlus didn't lose his brain" while Shepard is talking I look at Nihlus. I'm not that good at reading faces, and turians are no exception, but it isn't hard to see the turmoil in Nihlus' mind. His friend had tried to kill him. "When we got down there, Saren had taken flight, and the geth were setting up bombs to destroy the colony. We stopped them. While Nihlus and Ashley gave me some covering fire, I managed to disarm all the bombs. Then, we found that beacon. And things went out of control" I can sense some kind of… remorse? In his voice?

"It's my fault; I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way." Ash says. Oh yeah, I forgot that if Shepard was male, Ash would be the one to be sucked into the beam, and Shepard would push her away. I just didn't think it mattered, not with canon fucked up as it is.

"So, what happened to you?" I look at Shepard, though I am afraid I already know the answer.

"When I pushed her out of the way, the beacon grabbed me instead." He looks down on his hands, palming his faceplate as if running his hands over his face. A typical sign of stress or fear. Perhaps something else? "I saw… death, destruction, none of it was really clear. I heard voices screaming into my ear, yelling inside my mind. They were speaking in multiple languages. I did catch a few words from them." He then pauses for dramatic effect. "Total Destruction." It's only because I know what he has seen that I have enough sense to think for myself "_drama queen"_

"_You think he's overdoing it?" _

"_Well, seeing as he did just get a vision from a 50.000 year old beacon, in a language he was just forced to understand, he IS coping quite well. I'm just glad I'm not the one with a doomsday warning in my head._"

"_Right, and if it had been you, Liara would have to look into YOUR mind. Then you'd be discovered and everyone would freak out." _

"_Good point" _

"_They usually are" _Is he getting arrogant?

"_I still wonder, if there was no human Shepard, then why is the Normandy here?"_

"_Maybe you should ask them?"_

"_You don't know? I thought you were some kind of all-knowing divine being, sending people from one dimension to another?"_

"_Kid, I am limited to what information is in your brain. I can't conjure up new knowledge, only use the one you already have"_

"_Again, good point"_

"_Well, I aim to please"_ okay, he really needs to work on his sense of humor. If that even was humor. Something just hits me; if I survive this, and make it to the second game, I could have a blast conveying messages from him when talking to EDI. That is, if I have told anyone about my real past at that point. And I do plan to, it's just… you don't just walk up to someone saying; _"oh hey, now that I know you, you should know that I'm actually from another universe, one where all of you are nothing more than pixels on a screen, and you (Quarian Shepard) don't even exist. Instead, you should have been a human."_ Now, that's a quick way to end up in the lunatic part of a hospital.

"_Well, they've got to know at some point, right?"_

"_Of course, I'm just gonna get to know them a little better first, and gain their trust."_ Well, I obviously have Ash's trust, but the others…

Back to Shepard. He's looking really tired, or he's not looking tired in a human sense, with half-closed eyes and wrinkles and all that, but his entire body just screams "REST!" I turn to Chakwas and Nihlus;

"So, if our savior was a Quarian, what is a hyper modern Alliance warship doing here? Just curious"

A look of sadness comes over the doctor. Oh, this can't be good.

"We received a transmission that the Eden Prime team had unearthed a Prothean beacon on the human colony. Since your colony didn't have the necessary facilities to handle such and artifact, we decided to take it to the Citadel. We received a transmission seventeen minutes before touchdown, with colonial marines being slaughtered by synthetics and some kind of enormous dreadnaught hanging in the sky. Then, the signal was lost. We sent down a small team, Nihlus, two marines and Commander Dawson. They were killed."

"Yes, I saw them die. I couldn't save them. I did get this, however, from one of the geth drones that killed them" while he says this, he lights up his Omni Tool, and start typing away. Then, a voice suddenly speaks up from Shepards arm;

"Sovereign and I have come to this planet a day ago. I have received the trust of the colonists because of my Spectre Status. Sovereign and I have been searching for this Prothean Beacon. He says it will lead us to the Conduit." Damn, Sarens voice is just shouting "EVIL" with every word he says.

"Well, that's interesting" I say, rubbing my chin as I speak. I always wanted to do that, and say something cool in the meantime. I hope I just did. _Well, no one's looking at like I just acted retarded, so I guess it wasn't that bad_

"Indeed." Nihlus says. "I'm going to add this to my report to the council."

Doctor Chakwas turns her gaze back to the guy in front of us;

"Physically, you are fine but I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves." While she says this, I can't help but feel sorry for the guy; no matter what he's been through before this, there is no way you can be prepared for this. "I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, probably from the vision you had."

"How could you notice that, when I'm wearing a helmet?" yes, that is odd. I wonder if that Normandy's got any clean rooms, but I doubt it.

"Well, I couldn't risk taking off your helmet, not in this environment, so I ran a cranial scan, to see if there was any neurological damage. And your eyes were close to popping out of their sockets, so to speak"

"Well I hope that's a human way of speaking, or else I'm very worried right now." He looks at us. Then, I realize that he just made a joke. A joke! The guy wakes up after a demolishing nightmare, and he jokes! Doesn't mean it's funny though, but I think he and I will get along just fine.

"Yeah. Yeah it is. It just means that your eyes were moving a lot." I say, seeing as neither Chakwas nor Ash felt inclined to say anything. They are just looking at each other.

"Besides…" Chakwas says, but is cut off by the sound of the door opening again.

"How's the Quarian holding up Doctor?" I turn immediately to where the voice came from.

"Captain Anderson, yes he is quite fine actually. Physically that is." Chakwas looks at the captain, a smile on her face.

Anderson looks at Ash and me, then at Chakwas;

"Would the two of you" he gestures at me and Ash; "mind giving us a little privacy?" he isn't ordering us out, but I know it when there is a command in a sentence. My old boss made sure of that.

"Sir." Ash says, as she gives him a salute. I quickly follow it up with my own, less crispy version. I never learned how to salute someone. The geth kinda made sure of that. Anyway, we head outside, to the Mess hall of the Normandy, and Ash gives a long sigh;

"You okay?" I ask, as I am actually worried. She went back through the colony, encountered husks, more geth, saw people being impaled and was almost sucked into a Prothean beacon. And to top it off, I wouldn't be surprised if she had had survivor's guilt while Shepard and I were unconscious. Well, while I was unconscious. She IS a xenophobic, so I doubt she was very worried about Shepard. Reminds me; I've got to fix that before Tali and Garrus comes aboard, not to talk about Wrex. I would hate to see the two of them being pissed at each other. And Ash really doesn't look okay. She has long dark marks under her eyes… _has she been crying?_ And something in her way of walking, of standing, has changed since I saw her on Eden Prime.

"Yes, I'm just fine. It's just…." She sighs, and then looks at me. "Because of me… because I spend my time holding you back at the range, everyone in the barracks were killed. Because of me, we didn't save more civilians than had already hidden. But, I didn't want to believe that it was my fault. I even blamed a scared dock worker, an unarmed civilian that he hadn't fought back. With what should he have fought back? I was so eager to tell myself that this wasn't my fault; I was ready to blame it all on the first person I saw. I almost blamed Shepard for the entire attack, simply because he was there, and didn't manage to save everyone" She looks at me with a look that I've never seen on her face before. It's a look of complete remorse, of guilt and sorrow. She must have known a lot of the people living on Eden Prime. And to see them massacred, or turned into husks… I shudder at the mere thought. "And then, you came along and got me out of there. You saved me and worried only about me, when you could have saved someone else. Some civilian's maybe."

"Ash"

"And when the rocket came at us, you still only worried about me. I was hurt and couldn't keep fighting, but you could have dropped me and gone back down the hill."

"Ash…" Man, she's really taking this hard.

"I could only watch as the only person besides me who I knew had survived the attack, got himself blown up. Just to protect me." I have a feeling that if I don't stop her soon, she's gonna work herself into a state of crying.

"Ash. Listen to me." Oh boy, I've never been much of a pep-talker. That was always Nicolai's job, or in this universe, Shepard. But neither is around, so I have to talk to her myself;

"There was no way you could have known what would happen. If anything, then I'm to blame for what happened at the barracks. I wouldn't even consider going in there when I heard the shooting. I just thought of getting you to safety, okay. You wanted to go in there, you wanted you help them. I stopped you. So yes, you would probably have been killed or ended up on one of those spikes…" wait a sec, this is going the wrong way, not only am I now making her blame me, talking about the husks and the Dragons teeth's only serve to make her feel worse. I need to turn this around. _Any suggestions?_

"_You're asking me? I thought you said to stay out of all Ash-related stuff?"_

"_Yes, yes, but I can't do this thing alone. Give me something!"_

"_Right… let's see. Try telling her that she had to make it out, possibly say that you were too afraid of anything happening to her to think rationally, and that neither of you could have made a difference anyway."_

"_Well, that's better than my own ideas. Thanks." _For once, I'm really grateful that he's here.

"But" I go on; "neither of us could have done anything, even if we were both in perfect shape. But you were injured, and I wasn't just going to leave the one person I KNEW I could save. I just wanted you safe Ash. You may blame me for all the death, but please, Don' .Yourself." I sigh, looking at her beautiful face; her brown eyes all red from either crying or the stress. I don't like when she looks so much in pain. I just want to take her hand, hold her close and whisper "it'll be okay". But I don't think it will. She just witnessed the death of almost an entire colony, plus she saw me getting blown to Hell by a rocket meant for both of us.

"Thanks… I… needed to hear that" and with that, she smiles. It is far from any of those cocky smiles she showed before, but at least the terrible sadness is gone from her face and - whoa! Ash leans in and gives me a big hug. Okay, I did better than I had dared to hope.

"_Which you can thank me for"_

"_Yeah, thanks Guru Pattik" _I smile.

"_Who's Guru Pattik?"_

"_A love guru. You should apply for the job as his conscience. But for now, you better stay here"_

I just stand there, with the in my eyes most beautiful woman in this universe hugging me, and I don't know how to react to it. I mean, this has never, and I mean never, happened to me before. After a while, I just kind of slide my hands around her back, and respond to the hug in the only way I can figure out. By giving her a hug. We stand there for a while, I don't know how long, until our embrace is interrupted by a voice over the comm. System. It's a voice, both annoying as hell, and at the same time a voice I've been dying to hear (yes, ha-ha. "Dying") since I arrived in this mess. Annoying, because he broke up the moment between me and Ash, and loved, because it's the easily recognizable voice of Seth Green… I mean Joker. He was always one of my favorites in the game.

"Capt.' we'll be arriving at the citadel in one hour." Wait, one hour? But it was over two hours when I woke up… just how long have I been standing here?

"_You want an answer to that question?"_ the voice, not romantically interested (yes, there I said it. Happy?) In Ash, seems to have a bit more control over the situation.

"_Yeeessss… just tell me, what ten minutes?"_

"_Weeeeell, multiply that by three, and your close."_ What? Have I been standing here like this for over half an hour? Though, for some reason, I don't really care. That is, until the close-to synthetic voice of a Quarian sounds behind us;

"I'm sorry to interrupt, and I was going to let the two of you get done, but you've been standing like this for over thirty minutes… and I wanted to get a proper introduction." Shepard looks at me and Ash, though I'm sure he's already introduced himself to her while they were on Eden Prime. Or not. Well, I've wanted to find out about my savior for some time now, so I guess it's only right. Just wish I could have stood there for a little while longer, just… feeling Ash's presence in my arms.

"Sure thing" I let my arms glide out from Ash's, who in return stands straight, after almost having sunk into my arms; "I'm Private Thomas Vestergaard Fisher, though just call me Thomas or Fisher, okay?"

"And my name is Ashley Williams, we never really got introduced planet-side, but I just want you to call me Ashley or Ash. Your choice." She gives him a smile, not anywhere near what she usually gives me, but it's genuine.

"Nice to meet both of you. My name is John." My jaw almost falls open. _You've gotta be kidding me! He's even got the same name as the human Shepard!_ "John'Shepard nar Rayya. You can just call me John. It saves time."

"Cool. So John, not to stick my nose in things that doesn't concern me, but what were you doing on Eden Prime? Pilgrimage?" I look at him, trying to focus at the place between the eyes that's considered most polite when talking to a human. Trouble just is, I can't see anything but his eyes. It's like they glow on their own, which would explain why it's the only part of Talis face you see in the game.

"You've heard of it? I'm frankly surprised as most aliens just see us as vagrants when we are out there. They don't respect the Pilgrimage, 'don't see it like we do; as a means to survival." Alright, I know of the Pilgrimage, time to cash in some points;

"Yes, I know; you leave the fleet when you are about 23 years old, and have to find something to prove your worth to the Migrant fleet in order to return. That, or settle somewhere else, I hear Earth, and the human colonies are popular?"

"Indeed. For some reason, you humans don't view us with the same amount of racism that most other species do. Once, a volus on a station called me a suit-rat" John sighs as he goes over the numerous times he's experienced racism against his people.

"Asshole… I assume you clocked his ol-factory thingies?" I hope the answer is yes. I always wanted to find out what happens when you do that.

"No, 'just kept walking. I don't dignify those people with an answer." He suddenly looks up "it would just end with me flinging them out a window if I responded" I can't help but chuckle, and even Ash seems to like him. Well this is going great. Oh, and there comes the badass officer of the day, _Mister Anderson._ I hear the scene in my head. It's impossible not to. He's looking at Ash and me, waving us over;

"Well John, nice talking to ya, but I think tha captain wants to talk to us. See ya" I extend my hand, which he grasps. Cool, he knows that one. Tali never did, as far as I remember;

"You too, both of you" he then extends his hand towards Ash, and as I pray to the Almighty, she actually shakes it. Well, I did just survive getting blown away by a rocket, so I suppose I should be used to miracles happening. John then turns and heads for the sleeping compartments. Reminds me to get my own bed before we dock at the Citadel. We walk over to where the captain is waiting, leaning on the door to the med bay;

"Captain, what can we do for you?" I ask

"Actually, I think it's more like what I can do for the two of you" he replies, giving us both a stern but also positive look. "I know that both of you must be dealing with some… turmoil, after the colony, but we need able bodied people around, and especially if we convince the council that Saren's a real threat. I would like to offer both of you a place here on the Normandy. You will retain your old ranks, and will be integrated into the navy's pay book, instead of the colonial army. You will find that the pay here is considerably higher than it was on Eden Prime. Also, we will be getting both of you a new set of clothes, somewhere to sleep, and you won't have to worry about paying for food. At least not on the ship. Anywhere else, and the food comes from your own paycheck. Now you don't have to decide now, but I want your answer before we arrive at the Citadel." He finishes. I can't believe what I just heard. We're pretty much offered a place on the Normandy, no strings attached, if you count out the part where we're going after a maniac and a reaper. Not to mention a geth army. And a slave krogan army. And the rachni. And the Thorian… why do I get the feeling I've just been shanghaied? Oh well, nothing to do about it but hoping I'll live through it;

"Sir, I don't need any time to consider. My answer is clear; I will hunt down, or help hunt down the bastard responsible the assault on Eden Prime. And I will put a bullet in him for every single person dead on that planet. So yes, I will be joining you. Ash?" content with my own response, I turn towards the woman of my dreams. I dearly hope that, like in the game, she will join the Normandy too. If she says no, I might consider drawing back my support…

"Sir, like Thomas said; a bullet for everyone dead on Eden Prime." Thank God, she's in.

"Alright, I'll forward some documents to both of you, complete with signatures and everything. You only have to read them and sign for yourselves. I'll then have you both transferred to Alliance navy, and you'll serve aboard the Normandy with regular pay. You'll also both be handed a credit chit upon arrival at the Citadel."

Oh crap, I forgot; I have absolutely no idea how a credit chit works. I have to ask Ash as casually as possible. In these days, I figure that if you don't know how a credit chit works, you'll be considered a moron.

"Yes sir. Where shall we place ourselves?" Ash asks. Bless the gods, I don't have to. If I asked, I would be in doubt of whether or not that would be common knowledge.

"If you go down this hallway, and turn to the right, you'll find the crew quarters on the opposite wall. Just find yourselves a free bunk, and unload whatever gear you might have brought." He then walked towards where Miranda's office would be in the second game. I guess that's the captain's cabin;

"Well, after you, milady." I while I can't hold back a smile.

"My, what a gentleman. You remind me of a young rookie I found under the monorail once. He was also a hothead, but unlike you, he lacked manners" she turns to face, and boy, am I glad to see that the cocky smile is back. 'Guess al she needed was a little hug. Or, not a little, but a half-an-hour hug. I wonder, if she has any feelings for me, or if this is just how she is among friends. She gives my shoulder a squeeze;

"Thanks for the pep talk… and the hug." I look into her eyes. They have regained their confident gaze. But the red is still there. It doesn't just disappear along with your bad mood. I return the squeeze;

"Don't mention it. I enjoyed it." That may have sounded wrong, but if so, she doesn't show it. Actually, she changes her smile into something even warmer. I… the feelings this causes… my stomach is suddenly filled with angry hornets, buzzing about, stinging and I don't know what. I've never felt this way before. I just want to see that smile all over again, and again. I will do whatever it takes to make that smile come back.

"_I feel it in your fingers. I feel it in your toes…" S_ay what? Is my assigned conscience singing a love song?

"_Love is all around you, and I can feel it grow"_ Okay, this is starting to get a little creepy.

"_Uhhrr… what are you doing?"_ I seriously have no idea what made him start singing. Or how he even knew that song, because I didn't.

"_Just a little mood music." _Oh you've got to be kidding me!

"_Are you Amor now?!" T_his is none of his business.

"_Well, since I did play, what did you call it "a love guru"? I might as well stick to the role, no?"_

"_No! That's a NO with big letters."_

"_But… I helped you with her problems?"_ was that… sadness in his voice?

"_Yes, and I really appreciate that, but right now, I would prefer it if you would resume the "no-Ash-thoughts" role. Okay?"_ I don't want to come off as ungrateful, but it would be a little creepy having him around on a possible date with Ash, like a third wheel, or that annoying friend who hangs around the couple, not getting the hint.

"_Fine, but don't you come crawling back when you say something socially awkward, and end up having to flee from an angry Ashley Williams, armed with a knife"_ ha…ha…h - wait what?

We have arrived at the crew quarters, and I am honestly surprised, as I never even sawthis part in the game. It's apparently on a deck between 2 and 3, which I guess makes that 3 a four. It actually makes some sense. Instead of having the entire crew constantly on one deck with the mess hall, there has been constructed a crew deck with bunks, bathrooms, a small gym and even some sparring mats. John is nowhere to be found, so I assume he went to bed for as much rest as he could get away with. Me? I'm not really that tired, seeing as I just spend around fifteen hours in bed. I also notice that there's a black haired man over by the punching bags. He's really swinging away, almost glowing blue at every strike. _'Guess that's Kaidan_

He looks up, almost as if reading my thought, and walks over to us. Wow, they really didn't overdo his "buffness" in the game. I mean that guy's got some biceps;

"Hey there. 'Names Kaidan. Kaidan Alenko. I'm kind of the captain's first-mate, but I really don't have much say in those matters. Actually, Joker's got more influence than me." He says with a smile. Funny, I always thought he was sour because of all those damn migraines cause by the L-2 implants;

"Nice to meet you Mr. Alenko. My name is Thomas Fisher, but you can just call me Thomas if you'd like. Never been big on formality. And this is my commanding officer, and a real asskicker; Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams." I gesture towards Ash, standing over by the punching bags. She's only just now noticed Kaidan, and is heading over towards us;

"Nice to meet you mister Alenko." She says, doing a salute.

"Please, just Kaidan. And I would prefer it if you didn't salute me. 'Never much liked the idea of rank separating personnel."

"Sure thing Kaidan. But by the way, as I heard it, weren't you supposed to be part of the ground team that was killed?" I ask, hoping it isn't still a touchy subject.

"Yeah, but I was down with a migraine. These damn L-2 implants can cripple a less lucky person. And by "lucky", I mean being able to move at all like a normal person."

"I'm sorry for the loss of your people, if it means anything." I hope I didn't stir up some emotional shit.

"It's okay; I've already talked with John'Shepard about it. I think he understands what I'm experiencing. He did go through something much worse on Akuze, from what I've heard."

"What do you mean? What did happen on Akuze?" I never actually found out about this, as the description in-game simply was that he lost his entire team on Akuze. But that could happen to anyone, in any battle I suppose.

"The way I've heard, he and a team of marines were sent down to the colony on Akuze, to check why it had gone silent. They hadn't even touched down yet, when a Thresher Maw jumped from the sand and took out their shuttle. Killed all but three of them, plus him within the first minute. The rest of them continued towards the colony when a new Thresher emerged from the sand. It… swallowed him. Almost ate him. Then, he just burst out from its stomach, ripping holes in its innards and tough skin with his biotics. When the third creature attacked, he was the only one to survive. Apparently, he was picked up by a shuttle, and treated by our own doctor Chakwas. I don't know if she was on the Normandy back then too. Only been here for four years, and the Akuze-thing was five years back."

"Shiiiit…. I'm amazed he isn't suffering from any emotional and psychic scars." Or perhaps, he's just not letting us know. Either way, just one more reason to feel sorry for the guy.

"Fifty alliance marines died on that rock, and he was the only one to make it out?" Ash says, obviously in disbelief. Though I can't hear if it's anger or just astonishment. She IS a xenophobic after all.

"_Hey, voice-conscience guy?"_

"_Yes Thomas?"_

"_This whole "Shepard is a Quarian" thing, is this what you meant by "something strange" back in the void?"_

"_I can't say. Only that there was a disturbance in this universe, one that ought not to be. It could be the Quarian-thing, but just as well could it be something else."_

"_So… you don't know?"_

"_That is correct"_

"_Jesus! What part of all-knowing divine being actually IS in your manual?!"_

"_I've told you before, my knowledge of this universe is restricted to what is stored in you brain."_

Well, that was REALLY informative, I can't help mumble to myself. I'm not even aware of having said anything 'till I notice both Ash and Kaidan looking at me.

"Did I say something wrong?" I ask.

"Never mind. Anyway, I better get back to training. If you're lost, the crew quarters are right over there" he points to a wall that extends from the main hull. And right behind it is a door labeled "Crew Quarters".

"Okay, thanks Kaidan."

"No prop kid."

Wait what? Kid? Is that my nickname in his books? Oh well, can't dwell on it now. I just wanna get my stuff placed and claim me a bed. Hopefully on that's a little secluded; I've got some reading to do.

13:47 (Ship time)

"Leave me alone!" A voice screams. A series of loud bangs and the sound of smashed glass then emits from the men's bathroom. "_Just what the hell is going on?! And, that was John voice, if the sound of a voice-emitter is to be trusted… IS HE BEING ATTACKED?! Right here, on an Alliance ship? Well, Hell! Not if I have anything to say in the matter!_" I rush out of the crew quarters, almost smashing my laptop while dropping it on the floor.

"Leave me ALONE!" the sound of banging stops, and is instead replaced with the sound of a body hitting the floor. As I open the door, I'm ready to face some kind of assailant. Instead, I just find my quarian teammate curled up on the floor, crying. I really don't know what to say. The floor is littered with smashed glass, and there are deep bulges in the wall;

"John! Jesus, what the hell happened to you?!" I kneel down beside him, trying to see if he's injured. There are no apparent wounds or suit breaches, but I know that it only takes the tiniest hole to infect a Quarian. At last, satisfied that he appears to be physically alright, I reach down and grasp under his armpits, lifting him up as gently as I can. He just stands there, completely swaying on his feet, prone to collapse again at any moment.

"John for fuck's sake! Who did this to you?! Who's the asshole that beat you up? I didn't see anyone leave the room" this is messed up. Who could have beaten him up to state that would leave him curled up on the floor?

"John, talk to me. Who did this, what happened?" he just looks at me, his eyes obscured behind a foggy visor, his breathing quick and troubled. Almost like it isn't physical pain, but like when a child loses a pet or a member of the close family.

"I see them. They always return, starring at me. Just staring at me. So many… dead. All those men, they all died so fast. Didn't even get a chance to… to see what happened. And… and then they just died. All those bodies, Thomas. So mutilated and twisted. Legs… torn off in a second. They always return. Every time I sleep, I see them. Every time I close my eyes, they stare at me. Their faces screaming out to me. Their last screams are following me! They… they won't -"At this point, he collapses again. _Oh crap! I knew this would happen. In real life, you don't just walk away from so much dead without some trauma. And he takes it all on himself!_

"_Well then, help him for God's sake." _The voice almost sounds annoyed that I need to be told.

Right

I grab him again, this time even more gentle;

"Come on mate. There is no way you are responsible for what happened down there. Blame Cerberus instead" Oh crap! I don't think I'm supposed to know about Cerberus on Akuze yet! "I mean, you did all you could. Hell, you killed a thresher singlehanded. If you hadn't, they would just have been killed faster. At least you gave them a chance. They may not have made it, but you gave them a chance. If it means anything, I don't believe that anyone could have done anymore than you did." _Jesus, please let this work._

"_Well, that could have been worse. You tried, and now we just wait and see whether or not it worked."_

He's right. I did my best here, and I just have to pray that it works out.

John straightens up a bit, and looks at me with a new look in his eyes… I think. _Damn, Quarians are hard to read._

"Thanks. But the fact is that I'm here, and they're not. I am glad for your concern; it's been a while since another race than Quarians treated me as anything but filth. You humans are not that bad." That last part was that… a somewhat HAPPY tone? Still, it didn't work: he's still blaming himself. Better make him think about something else. And fast;

"So John, what did you do before you, you know, joined up with those marines?" I actually have been eager to learn about this for some time, especially since his ship-name is the same as Tali's. '_Wonder if they knew each other…_

He looks a little brighter for a moment, apparently glad that something else than Akuze came up, then he dives back into the pool of… sorrows? Nostalgia? I can't tell;

"I was born on the _Rayya_, but my father was dead already, and my mother died giving birth to me, so a friend of my mother, an older woman named Shala'Raan took on the role as my foster-mother. _"Auntie" Raan is his foster mother? Oh shit! What if this means Tali's doesn't exist in this universe!?_ "I grew up alongside the other kids, although I had only one true friend on the ship. While Shala was my foster-mother, she was also a very dear friend to Admiral Rael'Zorah. When he and his bond-mate had a daughter, we were almost always brought together for … what do your people call it, "play-days"? Her name was, is, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. _YES! YES, YES, YES!_ "We were best friends and classmates, until the day where we were sent on a ship deal. Apparently we were supposed to buy an old ship from some unknown seller. A human. We were only about sixteen years old, in your standards, but we were expected to succeed without trouble. After all, it was just some guy selling the fleet a ship. When we came aboard the ship, I just knew something was wrong. Then this man in a white and gold uniform approaches us, telling us to surrender and give up our weapons. I refused, and Tali and I tried getting back to our shuttle." Here, he pauses and stares out into thin air. I almost think I can guess what happened next "But the doors were sealed. Tali was a good hacker, already back then, so she tried getting the doors open while I held of the men trying to abduct us. When she got it open we hurried getting through, but only she managed to. The doors closed right in front of me… then, they shot me." I just lean against the wall, completely taken aback by what he tells me. _Those lousy sons of… abducting and shooting at kids!?_

"What happened then?"

"I woke up in a lab, strapped to a table. Then, this human scientist comes up to me, telling me about all the wonderful things they can learn from me. All the stuff I'll be doing for them. I told them to fuck off, but they didn't seem to understand the meaning of that word. Then, they removed my suit in a dirty room, and just started opening my head"

"How long were you sedated during that?"

"I wasn't." he says, still staring into thin air, but now I notice his fists open and close.

"What!? Those crazy, evil, bastardly motherfuckers! How the Hell could they do that to a child!?" I am almost asking him, as if John is to blame or explain the things they did to him.

"I'm a Quarian, they didn't see a person, they just saw a lab rat. Something to try out their new toys on."

"Still, who the Heck is evil enough to do something like that?" I've calmed down a bit, but I'm still fuming. If I make it to the second game, I'm gonna send a personal "F. you" to the Illusive man.

"Cerberus." He just states. As if it's the most natural thing in the world.

"But, how did you escape? I don't assume they just let you walk out once they were done?"

"Once they implanted some new implants in me, my biotic powers rose to a ridicules level. When I learned that they wanted to give me some kind of mind controlling device, I knew I had to escape. And fast. So one morning, I woke up before the guards, and hit in the blind spot of the guards view. Then, I only had to wait till they sent someone down to check out my cell. I killed them when they came in. I used their weapons, and killed every one else I met. I also found my belongings" he points to his knife on the back of his left boot. "And then I found the man responsible for all the pain I had endured for all that time."

"And you killed him?"

"No" again, just a statement that could as well have been about the color of the sky.

"No? Then what DID you do?" seriously, I would have killed him. Right on the spot… John wasn't actually THANKFULL to the bastard for what they put him through, was he?

"I… educated him in the life of a Quarian. See, we only have three fingers and toes, while you humans have five. I changed that with him" while he says this, he leans down and pulls up his knife. That thing looks like it might just take off my hand. "I then left him. Don't know what happened to him, and I don't care. I stole a Cerberus fighter, and fled the base. I eventually picked up a freighter which I could have booked passage on… but it shot me down. They must have thought I was a raider.

"But, if they shot you down in space, how did you survive?"

"We were close to Mindoir, a colony world. When I crashed there, they took me in and got me back on my feet. They were humans, so at first I didn't trust them one bit. Later on, I came to trust them, even picked up a friend there, a boy named James. I had only known him for about ten minutes when Batarians attacked the colony. We ran and hid, but the slavers eventually found us. I killed them, and Alliance marines arrived at the colony. We then drove off, killed or captured the Batarian bastards. That's when I joined the marines to replace a man that was shot during the attack on the slavers. And soon after, we arrived at Akuze… you know the rest."

"Holy crap man! You've been through Hell and back! I'm amazed you're even still alive!"

"Yeah, I am alive. Where so many others are not." This wasn't really helping him. But hey Quarians like ships, and as far as I remember, we are about to arrive at the Citadel, and the Destiny Ascension will float by the Normandy. Seeing all those ships should cheer him up. And, if nothing else is fucked up with the canon, we should meet Tali there. That should definitely cheer him up.

"Come on. I think were about to arrive at the Citadel." I say.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go. And hey, Thomas?" I turn around;

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the talk. And for listening to me." He does sound more optimistic now, if anything. _Am I taking on the old Shepards role, with the rounds on the ship?_

"Don't mention it. Ash might get jealous" I say with a grin. I didn't mean it seriously, but he must have understood it as if I did.

"Of course"

14:31 (ship time)

"Look at the size of that thing" John exclaims from his place in the cockpit.

"The Destiny Ascension. Flagship of the Citadel Fleet." Kaidan has joined us in the cockpit without I noticed it.

"Well, size isn't everything" Joker says, leaning back from his seat to give us a sideway glance.

"Why so touchy Joker?" Kaidan asks.

"I'm just saying, you need firepower too."

"Hah, its main gun can rip through any dreadnaught in the Alliance fleet" John comments.

"Yeah, I think it's got the whole "firepower" thing covered." I add.

"Yeah, glad it's on our side then" Kaidan says, never taking his eyes off the gigantic Asari ship. _I always wondered if that big blue hole in the front is actually its main cannon._ Better leave that stuff to one of the calm evenings aboard the Normandy. Then, I can visit the extranet, and find ALL the info I want.

"Citadel Control, This is the SSV Normandy requesting permission to land." Joker's voice ends all the talk.

"Stand by for clearance, Normandy." A voice with authority says over the comm. system; "Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance Operator."

"Roger that, Normandy out." Joker ends the transmission with the Asari in the control tower.

"Normandy, this is Alliance Tower, proceed to dock 422."

"Here we go" I mutter to myself. Time to visit the Citadel.

* * *

**Alright guys, was that worth the wait? **

**I know,big chock and awe, Shepard is a quarian! **

**And to those of you who have read "Born Quarian" by Mags360: Yes, it IS the very same John. I absolutely fell in love with the character, and recieved the blessing of his creator to use him in my story. go check out "Born Quarian" it's really a masterpiece.**


	5. Political bullshit and a few surprises

**Alright guys, two chapters in one day. I know, I'm spoiling you XD**

**In this chapter, we meet up with some important persons, and some other stuff is cleared up.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**Political bullshit and a few surprises**

14:07 (Citadel time)

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Udina, the man I always hated and trolled in the second game, is standing in front of three holograms, each showing one of the councilors; Asari, Salarian and turian. "THE COUNCIL WOULD STEP IN IF THE GETH ATTACKED A TURIAN COLONY!"

Ash, Nihlus and I are standing by the balcony, leaning on the barrier that separates us from certain death. Nihlus is rubbing his forehead, while Ash is just looking out over the Presidium. And you can all guess what I'm looking at. Hint; it's not Udina. John is sitting by a table, his hands folded under his helmet, looking bored out of his mind. I can't blame him. Even though I knew what would happen, I'm not surprised to find that the others expected the exact same thing. I actually have to say, right now, I feel a little proud and sorry for Udina. He has to promote entire human race on a space station filled with racists. _Geez, glad I'm not him_. Now the Salarian councilor speaks up;

"The Turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador." _Oh come on!_

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse." And there's the Asari councilor.

I look back at Udina, a man literally tomato-read in the face right now. _Damn, that guy's got some backbone._ He tries cooling himself down, but I don't know how well that goes, 'cause he isn't exactly calm; "What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rouge Spectre. I DEMAND ACTION!"

"You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador." Okay, I could seriously strangle the Turian councilor right now. All the while I would have given Udina a high-five for standing up to those bureaucrats.

"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the findings of your... friend and of C-Sec at the hearing. Not before." Udina looks like you could boil an egg on his forehead right now;

"Captain Anderson, I see you brought half of your crew and a Quarian." Okay, so he's a xenophobic. But, so is Ash. He is probably a descent guy underneath all that rage and negativeness tha comes from dealing with counterproductive alien councilors.

"Just the people who were on Eden Prime and the two alliance soldiers that survived the attack. In case you had any questions" Ahh, captain. Always the paragon. Must be him who taught Shepard to be a good guy in the games.

"And can we be sure that the Quarian is telling the absolute truth?"

"Udina, we had this conversation before. He saved Nihlus's, Ashley's and Fishers lives he also got the information on Saren." He paused for a moment. "Sounds like you got the Council to grant you an audience." Alright, so Udina can be a boring and annoying guy. That doesn't make him the asshole that everyone seems to hate;

"They're not happy about it. Saren is their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason".

"They can't ignore the information I found on Eden Prime! They can't be that blind!" John stands up, slamming his fist on the table. Udina turns towards him, looking pissed that he spoke without permission;

"Settle down, Quarian. You have done enough! Destroying the Beacon!" I'm starting to realize why some people find him annoying as hell, but he's still not that high on my BS-list.

"That' Sarens fault, not his!" Anderson cuts through.

"Then you better hope this investigation turns up something to support our cause. The word of a Quarian isn't worth much around here, I'm afraid."

"I will show you how much a Quarian fist in your face is worth around here if you call me Quarian ONE more time!" _Dude… _ I quietly put a hand on John shoulder, trying to make him calm down;

"I think perhaps Udina just said quarian because he's not yet aware of your _name_ John. Maybe you should give him a second chance, considering he's the one who got us that audience. Hate the council, but not the guy trying to prove you right. Okay?" I need these people to NOT hate each other.

"Yes, I have yet to be informed of your name and rank, so… forgive me the incorrect way of speaking." _Yes! Thank you Udina, for seeing the light!_ He turns toward Anderson "Come with me captain, I want to go over some things before the hearing." He and Anderson then walk off to another room in the big office. Guess that's our cue to leave.

"And that's why I hate politicians" Ash comments.

"Yeah well, Udina's a political pit-bull, and I would rather have a big dog guarding my door, than a nice kitten."

"You actually admire him?" She eyes me with a strange look.

"Wouldn't say admire, but he DID just get us an audience with the council, and he IS constantly fighting to have the voice of humanity heard on the Citadel." I turn towards her. I know she hates politicians, which is also why I'd rather not be around for the hearing. Besides, I've kinda got something else to do;

"Err Chief; since you ARE my superior, and I WAS knocked out in the early part of the attack on Eden Prime, I was thinking if perhaps you should go as a representative for both of us. Besides, the fewer soldiers we show up with, the fewer ways are there to undermine us by asking all sorts of weird questions. And, you've got Nihlus and John with you. I'd call that a perfect group for this little undertaking. So, you and John and Nihlus are really the main part of this hearing. I would just be standing around. If I go for a little stride, I might just be able to do more for the mission than I would, standing around in the Citadel tower. What do you think?" I really hope this works out, because I just got an idea for something that'll turn canon around. And in the good way… I hope.

"Okay, if you're sure… I guess I could handle it all on my own." She then turns on the cocky smile, and fakes a scared tone; "Oh, all alone in that huge tower, only human I know is nowhere to be found. What if the keepers attack me?" where will my daring hero be to take one of their rockets for me?" _crap… I don't want to be reminded of that scene._ Ash must have realized what she said had done to me, because she immediately gets a more serious look and puts a hand on my shoulder;

"Hey. Hey Thomas… Sorry about that, I didn't mean for you to relive that part" she looks genuinely sorry that she brought up a touchy moment.

"It's okay. I survived, didn't I?" I give her my best smile, but I have the feeling it comes out as more of a wry attempt at a smile._ Oh well. At least I don't have John's problems… poor guy._

John turns towards the rest of us;

Well, the meeting is not before an hour, so there's some spare time if you want to go have a look around. Meet back here in 45 minutes.

"John? I am not gonna join you in the hearing" I say, hoping he won't take it as something personal"

"Why not?" he asks, crossing his arms in that "I expect a damn good answer" kind of way.

"Well… I have something of importance to take care of on the Citadel, and that's gonna take some time… besides, while I can stand Udina, I might end up taking shots at the council when they decide NOT to listen. And mark my words, they will not listen" I am right, of course, so might as well be the realist here. Someone's got to, and since I know the story, it might as well be me.

"Roger that. Well, hope you complete whatever secret mission you've embarked on. Just remember to be at the Normandy when we disembark."

"Oh don't worry about me. I'll be there."

"What ARE you gonna do? Start a shrink facility?" Ash asks, and John looks at her in a way that makes me think that he might believe I told her about our talk in the bathroom. I haven't, of course, but he might start thinking I can't be trusted. Hopefully they'll figure it out on their own. I don't feel like having to defend myself for something I haven't even done. Still, I keep the Mr. happy face;

"Oh, that might or might not be a part of it… I'll let the mystery linger… till we meet again" and with that, I sneak of in my best "Mr. bad guy" style. I hear John right when the doors close behind me;

"Keelah, sometimes he's such a child. But he's -"I assume he was about to say "alright" or "a good guy", but I'll have to wait till later to find out. Right now, I'm heading to C-Sec.

"What do you mean, "you're looking for a quarian with a gunshot?" how can I know you wouldn't be the one who shot the suit-rat?" my eyes twitch by the use of the racial slur.

"I'm sorry officer Chellick, but I didn't quite catch that last word. What did you call her again?" I hope he gets the hint, because I don't have time to spare for an arrest for violence on an official in work.

"Suit rat? That's what we call those filthy - "

_**Smack!**_

"_Good one!" Okay, the voice is now my coach… which could be good._

Well, I can't point a gun at him, or punch him, so I use a somewhat girly version. I give him the good old smack in the face. Hopefully, that isn't considered "assault" in C-Sec.

"What the - How dare you to hit me, _primate?_" oh fuck, he's pulling racial slurs on me too. Well, two can play that game;

"Pardon me _lizard-bird_ but it's _Private_ to you." And with that, I walk off. As insane as it is, no one rushing in to apprehend me. I look back, and Chellick is still sitting there with a talon on his left cheek. I get the feeling I'd better not come back here the first couple of days. Or weeks. Well, at least I now know that Tali's already been here. That means, next stop is Dr. Claude Michelle's clinic. I just have no idea as to where to look for it. Better ask for direction. I stop a Salarian who passes me;

"Excuse me sir, but do you know the location of Doctor Claude Michelle's office? It's really important I get there fast." He looks at me like I just said something insanely stupid. He then looks behind me and does that upward wink a few times. He then looks back to me;

"You ehh, you are standing right in front of it, you know that?" as he speaks, I slowly turn around, only to stare at a big holographic sign that reads: "Dr. Michelle. Non-profit all species clinic."

"Ehh thanks. I'm new here. So, yeah thanks…" _OH GOD THAT WAS EMBARRESING!_

"_You could just have asked me for directions."_

"_You wouldn't know, remember; limited to my knowledge!"_

"_Yes, but you deep down knew the location of this place. You had only forgotten."_

"_So… you know things that I've forgotten?"_

"_Yes, including that time when you peed on the electric fe-"_

"_YES! THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION."_

"_I aim to please" _And with that, he's silent.

Alright, time to do this. Luckily, I'm wearing my Normandy uniform, seeing as my own cloth is a bit too… outdated to wear around the public. I push the pad on the right side of the door. Inside, I find Doctor Michelle. She is treating someone on a bed in the faraway corner. A human, by the looks of it. His head is all tied up and covered by gaze, so it's impossible to see who it is. He IS wearing some very strange pants though. Not strange for me, strange for this place, seeing as they are Jeans, and his shoes are Snickers, something that shouldn't even exist anymore. I decide to move on to the good doc, and ask about that guy later;

"Doctor Claude Michelle?" I speak up, hoping to catch her attention. She turns towards me, obviously startled that someone called her name out of thin air. Apparently, she didn't hear the doors open and close.

"Yes. Who is it.?" She sounds a little nervous. Better step up, show her my Alliance colors.

"Doctor Michelle, the name is Private Thomas Fisher, Systems Alliance. I serve on the Normandy under captain Anderson." As I say my name, the gaze and plastered up guy in the far end of the room starts making a ruckus;

"Don't mind him. We found him battered and broken in an alley, and brought him here. He slips in and out of conscience, but he's stable."

"Okay doc. I didn't come here for your delusional patient though. I want to know, and it's REALLY important that you tell me the truth; has there been a female Quarian through here? Maybe with some gunshot wounds?" now the guy in the corner is really acting up;

"Excuse me for a second" Michelle moves over to the patient, and gives him what I assume is some kind of sedative. She then moves back to me;

"I don't know why you're asking Mister Fisher, but there hasn't been any -"as she speaks, the main doors slide open, and the wounded figure of a female Quarian enters the room. She stumbles over to Dr. Michelle;

"Please… help me. I was shot. Po- polonium rounds." _Crap! Tali!_ And it is her. Her voice, if anything gives her away. Then, she collapses on the floor. _What the Shit!?_ I don't think it was this bad in the game.

"Doc, help me here!" I yell at Doctor Michelle who, right now, is close to being paralyzed. At my shout, she snaps out of it;

"Right. Yes, put her on this bed. We need to clean the infection, or she won't survive!"

"But, but she's a Quarian. If we remove the suit to treat the infection, we might end up doing more damage than help."

"No, I've got a clean room just for this kind of situation. Help me roll the bed through that door" she points at a door that wasn't there in the game. Also, another thing that wasn't in the game, all the beds are on wheels. Alright, we roll Tali through the door, and enter a new room. It's completely spotless, and at the entrance, is a big Decon-unit. I know this, because it says so on the side of the big machine. And I'm not really in the mood to make a joke about how clever I am. We move through the decontaminator, and set up the bed. I look at Doctor Michelle, as she hands me a pair of rubber-gloves.

"Alright doc, just what are you doing? There is no way I'm qualified to do surgery on human, let alone a Quarian!"

"I know, but I need an extra pair of hands, or she won't make it."

"Crap! Okay, what do I do?" I ask, while fumbling to get rid of my jacket, and get on the gloves.

"Alright, first we need to check if the bullets went clean through, or if they are still inside her. If they are, I need you to hold open the wound while I remove them." _Oh shit!_

"What about sedating her?" we can't do this without having her put to sleep.

"Yes, but sedating a Quarian is tricky. It would be best if there was another Quarian here, one who knew how to do this.

"I'm still here…_Cough, cough…_ you know?" Tali speaks up between a lot of coughing and snorting. Crap, now she must be running a fever.

"Doc, I think she right. She's the only one here who knows how to sedate Quarians, so we have to let her do it herself." Michelle looks at me in a strange way, almost like how Ash looked at me when I wanted to abandon the barracks on Eden Prime.

"You… you're right. Can you do that miss…?" Michelle looks at Tali.

"Tali, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya… and yes, I can do that. Hand me the tranquilizer." She holds out her hand, the three fingers contracting with each cough. I turn around, and grab the needle. I look at the doctor, who nods, and I hand it to Tali. She then injects the fluid, and starts coughing some more. Then, she simply drifts off to sleep;

"Okay, now we need to work fast. I don't know how long she will remain under, but now we can open her suit in the areas where she has been shot." While talking, the doctor starts to open the suit at the arm. She unzips the rubbery material. And for the first time, even though I'm terrified at the prospect of having to hold open Tali's flesh, I can't help but marvel at the sight I'm now seeing. I'm actually looking at the true skin color of Tali. Man, this is just ONE of the many things I could sell to the millions of ME fans back home; the true color of Tali'Zorah. Somehow, I am surprised to find it being a pale shade of purple. I mean, I always suspected that it WAS purple, but to see it for myself… it's just amazing. I almost catch myself wishing she'd been shot in the face, so we would have to take off her visor as well. But only almost. Perhaps one day, I will find out. That is, IF I don't screw up these next few minutes.

"Merde! Thomas, all but one bullet has an exit-wound. That last one is still in there somewhere. I need you to hold open the wound, while I get it out. If we don't, she WILL die." Oh crap. I guess we need to do this thing.

"Okay Doc, I'm… I'm ready. Open the wound." As I speak, she grabs a small scalpel from a nearby table, soaks it in ethanol, and holds it over the flame of a small contraption which, honestly, I have no idea what is. After it is sterilized, she takes it to the wound. As she starts cutting, I notice a twitch in Tali's entire body. Must've hit a nerve. Her chest is steadily rising and falling, so she is stable. Michelle regains my attention;

"Thomas, your turn. Carefully use these two pliers to hold open the wound. Else I will lose the bullet, and we'll have to start over." She hands me a pair of chrome pliers, and shows me where to insert them._ In Talis arm! If I had known it would be this bad, I would have invited Chakwas on a stroll and just suggested to go in here. But noooo… I thought it would be like the game. Like everything else have been so far_. I grab the pliers, and carefully insert them into the pale purple flesh. Blood starts seeping out, and I notice that it's almost the same color as human blood. Only slightly more bluish. As I start plying the cut open, Michelle immediately moves in and starts going through the flesh and blood inside. _I'm gonna be sick!_ But I keep it all inside. Not gonna share my lunch from Eden Prime with the doc and the engineer.

"Allez bien! I got it" and she pulls out a fingernail sized object which she at once places in a small plastic back. Wow, that was fast. I had no idea she was that good.

"Alright, now we just need to clean the wound and apply the medi-gel. While you do that, I'll get the stitches. She should be out of danger once we get that wound closed again." And she's off. And then I stand there, kind of in a rush to get the wound cleaned… I've just never done this before. _Okay, how hard can this be?_ So, I start cleaning the inside of the wound with some kind of gel that smells a lot like apples and leather. Strange combination, now that I think about it. When I've got perhaps half the wound smeared in with this stuff, Dr. Michelle comes back. She just stands there, watching patiently. But not that patiently. Our patient is beginning to move.

"Hurry up Private, she's showing signs of reawakening!" she hushes me, almost like she expects me to be some kind of ninja doctor. Fast and still quiet;

"I can bloody well see that" I don't bother with lowering my voice. It's hard enough doing this when no one's pushing you, but with an overly patronizing French doctor keeps telling you to hurry the f**k up, your temper tends to get a little short. Alright, I cleaned the wound. Now I just need to apply the medi-gel… how the hell do I do that? _Alright, easy. If any marine can do this, then so can you._ Okay, the medi-gel is stored in this weird can, almost looks like you're supposed to just pour it on. I try holding it over the wound and pressing the tube-like sides, but the doctor pulls my hand away at once:

"Just what are you doing?"

"I told you, I've never treated anyone before!" Dammit, why couldn't she just do it?

"But this is medi-gel! Even a five year old can apply it to a burn!"

"Well, I'm not five years old, am I…" _crap! That wasn't exactly the kind of response a hardcore marine gives._

"No, but you behave like one with that. Here;" and as she says this, she takes one of my hands and turns it palm upwards. Now she presses some digits on the side of it, and I swear, they weren't there before. And suddenly my hand is glistering with this weird and wondrous gel. I start smearing it on and over the cut, before the doc moves in and starts sealing Tali's suit again. I see the doc take a look at her Omni tool, which reminds me that I have to learn to use mine as well.

"Bien, heart rate and breath is normal." _YES! I did… I mean, "We did it"_

"Medi-gel; if anything promotes the sentence, made by humans, it's this."

"Yes, now we just need to wait for her to wake up. I can take it from here, if you would like to wait outside. And do not worry; I will tell her that you were essential to her survival." Phew, I really think I just dodged a major canon-bullet.

"Yes, I'll do that. But doc, one question."

"Sure, I'd say you've earned that."

"That guy out there, in the gaze and plaster… what do you know about him?"

"Hmm… why?" she is suddenly her old "it wasn't me, I didn't see anything"-self again.

"Easy doc, I'm not gonna hurt him, if that's what you're thinking" she seems to relax a bit.

"Hmm… not much. He was brought here after they found him just lying in the streets. He looked like he had been hit by a train when they came in with him about a week ago." _A train? Don't tell me there is a me-clone lying over there. That would be sooooo messed up_

"_Well, if that was the case, I'd say that would almost certainly be the strange thing I detected back then. Well, only one way to find out, wouldn't you say?"_

"_I guess…" _I move over to the chair positioned by the bed. The person lying there is completely strapped in. his head is covered in a layer of gaze that would make a mummy jealous. I sit down, and look at him.

_Hmmm… same build as me, only a bit more buff. Caucasian skin, from what I can see on the arms. He wears a smashed up wristwatch. The timer is stuck at 15:37. His snickers are relatively new, and since I don't even wear snickers, that should rule out the clone thing. But then… who IS he?_

"_As I said, only one way to find out." _As I'm having this discussion with my inner demon/angel, the persons head turns towards me again;

"Brougfassss! Miithes eeeeee! Hruhumrai!" strange, I think he's actually speaking to me. I just thought he was shouting in agony before. So, if he's conscious enough to speak to me, I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a "talk" with him;

"Doc, this guy, can I remove his bandages?" I yell after the doctor, still inside with Tali.

"No way! Not for the next two hours! He needs to be completely rested before I let him out of here"

Okay, I can still talk to him. So, let's play twenty questions.

"Alright. Do we know each other?" I ask the figure. He nods violently.

"Okay… do we know each other from Eden Prime?" he shakes his head as much as the straps permit.

"Okay. Do we know each other from… Earth?" again the violent nod. So, I know this guy from Earth…

"Did you live in Aarhus?" violent nodding.

"Nicolai?" he nods, and then lets his head fall back down on the bed. _No way! NO FUCKING WAY!_

I don't give two pieces of shit about what the doc might say. I start tearing through the bandages. As I do so, I reveal more and more of a bruised but lovely familiar face. _ There is just no way its him! There is no way in hell! There is… oh crap dude!_

"Nicolai, you stupid son of a bitch!" I yell at him, almost falling over with happy tears. He's just lying here, on the citadel. The last person I would have expected, but the only one I'd want.

"Hey… Thomas. Heaven sure does look weird. Never would…hnngg… have figured that heaven would turn out to be your sort of paradise. The only woman I've seen so far is that doctor."

"The fuck are you doing here!? Don't fucking tell me that you died as well!?" I almost scream at him. I am just so, so happy to see someone from a life I thought dead and buried.

"Don't know… just went to a solarium some months after you died. There was this sharp flash as I turned on the piece of crap, ant the next thing I know, I'm lying in some alley, burns and broken bones all over and inside." Never would have figured it should end like that… never even got to say goodbye to the old people."_ Damn, he's just as messed up as I was, probably even more so. At least I had the Voice in all that time, so I wasn't exactly alone. But Nic? He was all by himself. And I had Ash. She has really saved me some trauma. Though she doesn't even know it._

"So you… didn't see some kind of light or a voice that spoke to you?"

"Voice? The Hell are you talking about now?" so, I tell him about my little companion.

"Damn… Thomas let me tell you this. I hadn't been picked up by a frigging Turian, I would have called you insane or a liar. And since I've always known you to be a bit weird, but never lie to me… I would easily have settled for the "insane" version. By the way, where IS here? That doc seemed familiar, but I haven't seen anything but the inside of this room since I woke up."

"Well" I spread my arms; "where do you think we are?"

"I don't know… only played the second game, and this place wasn't in it."

"Okay… we are in, brace yourself; Doctor Michelle's clinic!"

"Mother of God…."

"And who do you think is lying in another bed, in the room just next to us?" I ask with a smile._ God! This is so Fan-fucking-tastic! Not only is the woman of my dreams in this universe, so is my best friend! Whoever's controlling this; I fucking LOVE YOU!_

"…Commander Shepard?" he asks, with a wondering look in his eyes. He can't turn his head, so he just stares at me._ Oh crap… he doesn't know…_

"Eh… that's a longer story. But no, not the Commander… Tali!" he just looks at me like had I said that Grunt had just performed a love poem.

"You have got to be kidding me! Is Tali'Zorah, THE Tali'Zorah… in the room next to us!? God I always romanced her in the game, now I'll be able to see her in real life!"

"Yeah, but don't get your hopes up. Something tell me she already with Shepard"

"What? But have they even met yet?"

"Yeaaaahhhh… that's the part I was getting to…. Crap, uhhrr…. Well, due to some canon fuck-up that I had NOTHING to do with… Shepard… is a… Quarian. There, I said it."

Nicolai's head fall back onto his pillow. At first I think he is just sighing, then, I realize that he must have fainted. _Yeah, guess I would have done that too… speaking of that, it's kinda odd that I didn't faint back then._ My Omni tool lights up. _Weird, is the hearing already over?_

"Thomas, its John. We've just finished the hearing, and I'm glad I didn't take your bet. Those idiots ate what Saren told them, and Nihlus just stood there. He was asked what happened and he just said that he didn't really see anything. Bet he's still confused about Saren. How are things on your end?"_ oh boy._

"Well. Really well in fact, as I picked up that old friend I came here to find. He's a really good cook, so I thought you might consider him for the Normandy. You know, ask Anderson. And, I might just have a little surprise for you mate. And yes, you WILL like it. It's a little something from your past." I'm not telling him anymore. I want him to wait like a child on Christmas. And it will be worth it. If the Shepards played all over the world, my old world that is, are anything to go by, John will love Tali. I hope. Speaking of which, the doors to the clean-room just opened, and Tali is walking out. With the exception of the bandages on her arm, you wouldn't know she had been shot.

"Hey Tali… I mean, Miss Zorah. I wonder if I may talk to you." I approach her, all the while she's leaning against the counter. On her feet and with those strong legs of hers being put to use, she looks more like the Tali I remember. With the exception of the fact that I now know the color of her skin. I'll just have to ask about the face later. She looks at me with the same nervousness that always made her so cute in the game.

"Yes. I'd like that. I never really got to thank you for helping save my life mister….?"

"Thomas. Private Thomas Fisher. I serve on the Normandy, which is also part of what I want to talk to you about. But first, I would like to know if you by any chance know a quarian named John'Shepard?" I swear she almost faints as well when she hears the name. Luckily, she remains standing. She lunches towards me and stops only a meter from me. I can see that she is both nervous and extremely excited. She does that thing with her fingers, playing with them, in a way that makes it impossible not to smile. Damn, not weird so many people romanced her in ME2. I might just have to actively keep Nicolai away from her. I am content to (and proud of it) stick with Ash.

"Yes! Yes I know John'Shepard. Do you know where he is? How is he, what's he doing? Is he here on the Citadel?" man, that can't be simple friendship… or it might. As I said before, I've never been the best to judge people's emotions. It would be a huge help with Ash, but I think I'll survive.

"Whoa, whoa Tali slow down. First, yes I know where he is and you will see him. Second, he's doing fine. The guy saved my life on Eden Prime, so if I can reunite the two of you, I'd see it as a good way to start paying him back. He's part of the crew on the Normandy as well, and he told me about his past, and about you. I'm sorry for what happened with Cerberus back then; just remember that only a few humans are like that. We haven't really been on the galactic stage for long enough for the other races to corrupt us. And yes, he's here on the Citadel. He just finished a meeting with the council… long story. I'm sure he'll be eager to retell it when we meet up with him." I can see that she has a hard time believing all this I'm telling her. John, her childhood friend is serving on one of the most advanced ships in the Alliance Navy.

"So, WHEN do I get to see him?"_ oh boy. This part is gonna be less joyful. _

"Well, we are currently hunting this guy called Saren, and e need information on him that ties him up with the assault on Eden Prime. But so far, we've found nothing of u -"she then cuts me off.

"I have information on Saren. I found this on a geth I disabled on a remote planet, and it has some date that contains information on Saren and the geth's attack on the colony. I can help. And then you can take me to John."

"Sure thing Tali, but first, I couldn't help but her you mumble while we… did some surgery on your arm. You said something about an important meeting. Some guy named Fist?" I need her to be at the place where Shepard's team would first meet her.

"Yes… I want to sell the information to Fist. He works for the Shadow Broker, and will then give my information to the council. The Shadow Broker is a more dependable source than a Quarian."

"Yes… seems like John found out about that the hard way and -"speak of the Devil, I've just got a call from him. I look at Tali, and make the "Scchhhhh…" sign with my finger across my mouth. She nods.

"Yes John?"

"Alright, two things. Good and bad news. The good news is that we have discovered that a local bar owner has some connections to the Shadow Broker, and that someone send a mercenary after him. The bad news is that we are currently outside his bar and that his goons are shooting at anything that moves. How about you?"

"I went to Dr. Michelle's clinic to meet up with my friend, and the doctor told me about a quarian girl who had rambled about a guy named Saren in her sleep." I look at Tali and give her a small grin. I can't tell if she returns it, but she hasn't spoken up yet, so I guess she is on "it".

"Well, then I went to C-Sec and asked a turian by a booth about a quarian girl. He said something about a suit-rat that had been shot and I asked him again, what he called her and… let's just say it's best if I don't show up in C-Sec anytime soon."

"You have to tell me what happened when we get back. Anyways, where are you now?"

"In Dr. Michelle's clinic again. I'm here with the quarian, and we are heading to a meeting with some of Fists men." When you finish up with Fist, come meet us at…" I turn down the audio on the Omni tool, and look at Tali;

"Where is this meeting?"

"Behind the lower markets, this ward."

"Behind the lower markets, this ward" I repeat to him. "Meet us there when you're done"

"Will do. Out" I turn off the comm. and turn towards Tali.

"so… why are we not telling him about me?" there she goes again, with those fingers.

"Well, it's… a human tradition called Christmas… it's when you give presents and gifts to the people you care about. And we never tell anyone what we give each other… consider yourself my gift to John."

"You humans sure have some funny traditions, but okay. So, should we head to this meeting"?

"Sure, just… give me a minute to wrap things up here. I gotta talk to a friend of mine first." And with that, I leave Tali to walk over to Nicolai's bedside.

"Hey Amigo, are we going soon?"

"Well, yes but I have something I have to take care of first. I have to get her to the meeting where she will meet Shepard for the first time. Then, I'll come back for you. So you better be all dressed by the time I get back here."

"Sure you don't want me to come with you? You want some alone-time with Tali?" he looks at me with a smug smile._ Jesus! Even a near-death experience can mature that bugger._

"NO! You blasted idiot! I am not interested in her at all! Besides, I have my eyes on someone else…"

"Who Ash?" _Dammit! That guy always was blunt._

"….Yes." he just stares at me, and then his smile erupts into a laugh.

"Damn mate, you couldn't get a girl in the old world, but here you're all set? By the way… how long HAVE you been here?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask. I've been here for three days, plus the week I spent on the hospital on Eden Prime. You?"

"About the same. What's weird is that you disappeared months before me, and still only arrived a week and a half."

"Dude, we were flung through time and space… and you call THAT weird?"

"Good point"

"_Told you there was something strange"_ the second my voice-thing is done, I notice Nicolai's face wide with a mix of scare and surprise;

"Dafuq was that!?" he almost screams.

"You… you heard that?"

"Of course I heard that! What was it? Some kind of microphone? Where is it?"

"Well Shit… you can hear the voice in my head… at least that proves it…"

"Proves what?"

"That I'm not insane…" _and that's a relief…_

"_I don't see why it should be that much of a chock. I am not the manifestation of your fragile mind Thomas."_

"stop that! At least go back to only speaking to him! I might go crazy if this goes on…

"_Sorry about that… I'll just go silent from here on out."_

"Thank you. Very much"

"Alright Nic, I have to go. Or I might miss the meeting with Fist's men."

"Alright. Don't forget about me down here."

"We'll see about that" I say with a smile. Then, I return to Tali;

"Ready to go? The meeting is in five minutes."

"Alright, lead the way."

So we head over to the door, and I give Nicolai a last wave before we exit the place. The back of the clinic faces an elevator, and across from that is the stairs that lead to C-Sec academy. We take the elevator, and stop at the lower level. Once we exit, the whole place is considerably darker than the upper wards. Tali seems to know where we're going, so I'm just following her. When we round a corner, I recognize the place. It's where Shepard and the team will com rushing to the rescue in the game. Unfortunately, this isn't the game, so I have no idea if they'll get here or not. Speaking of that, I see a silhouette over by the wall. When we close in, he walks out from the building, and walks to stand in the middle of the hallway. I recognize that figure. It's a Turian.

"You came. I assume you have the disk?" the voice is the same. The pervy turian is just as creepy in real life as he was in the game. I think. I only saw the let's play's of this game till the point where we meet up in Udina's office. After that, I'm blind till Virmire. And all I know there is that some guy named Kirrahe-something dies, and that you have to choose between Ash and Kaidan. And if -

"Yes. Where is the Shadow broker? Where is Fist?" oh crap, this is where shit is about to get real.

"They'll be here, where's the evidence?" the turian is starting to move his hand-talon-whatever over her arm. _Crap! Why didn't I bring a weapon!?_

"No way. The deals off." Tali takes a step back, and reaches for her shotgun. Damn, I forgot about that. This little beauty can rip a man open from a range of seven meters with a single shot. And the turian is only two meters away. And Tali was going for it. The Turian signaled the two Salarian mercs behind him, and instead of removing the Turians head, Tali throws a grenade of some kind, and a flash suddenly blinds me. I feel myself being dragged in cover, but I can't see a damn thing. Shots erupts all around me, and I feel at least one going right past my head. _Shit!Shit!Shit!_

"Tali! Where are you!?" I shout out, hoping that she isn't dead because of me. "Please don't be dead"

"I'm alright Thomas -"a series of shots ring out, and I hear them embed themselves into whatever cover she dragged me behind. "I would really wish John was here" panic is clear in her voice.

"Me too. He should have been here by now!" I still can't see, but I have to get a message to John. If not, we're fucked;

"Tali, listen; I need you to access my Omni tool, and contact the name at the top of my contacts. Poke my shoulder when it's connecting!"

"Okay!" she starts typing away at my arms computer, and within seconds, I get a poke on the shoulder;

"It's on." I hear Tali's voice, and can barely start making out some lights coming from my arm. I speak into where I hope the comm. is;

"John! Ash! Can anyone hear me!?" okay, speak isn't the word. Scream is more like it.

"For God's sake Thomas, what's happening? Where are you?" the voice of Ash emits from my audio thingies in my tool.

"We're at the lower markets, behind the market. Same ward as you guys. Where the F**k are you people!? We're taking fire from several mercs, and I'm unarmed and practically blinded by some kind of flash bang!"

"Alright, hold on. We're almost there!" and then, the voice of John. _Oh he better get here yesterday, or his gift will be ruined… literally. Along with me._

"Tali! Talk to me! What's the situation?!" I lean back at what I can begin to make out as a large slap of some kind of metal. I don't care. It seems to be bullet-proof. Constant shooting sounds from both our end and theirs. _Crap! This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen._

"They just keep coming. I can see at least three new guys, in addition to the two I already killed!"

"Any good news?"

"I shot the turian!"

"Guess I'll take that as a may- !" suddenly, she presses me down;

"Bosh'ted! More are coming from behind!" wait! That must be our guys!

"Tali wait, don't shoot and don't move. I think it's the Normandy team!"

A long series of gunshots erupts from the upper stairs, and then all is silent. From what I can make out in my state, there are five silhouettes. And one of them is a big one. _'Guess they found Wrex_

"Guys!? Please tell me that's you up there!" I am 99,99% that it is them, but I won't be confirmed till one of them says "hello". And besides, I -

"John?" oh, Tali must have seen John, wonderful. 'Just wish I could actually see the reunion. I bet it's lots of tears and hugs. And also- oh, someone's helping me to my feet. I'm pleasantly confirmed when I can make out Ash's pink and red armor in front of me;

"Thomas! Are you alright?" she was worried.

"_d'aaaawwww"_

"_Shut up! Will ya? I told you to stay out of Ash-related thoughts!"_

"_Oh come on! The lovebirds are singing. The two of you just need to remove your earplugs." _

I just ignore him. Instead, I focus on Ash. While I hear a lot of speaking in a language I can't understand, I just give Ash a hug. Damn, am I glad to see her.

"Wow Thomas, I'm glad you're alright too." She says and gives me a tighter squeese. Then, she just holds me tight for some seconds, before starting to release me. I give her a smile, one which she returns warmly:_Damn, there is that warm smile again... why are my knees feeling like they're both made out of gel?__  
_

_"Do I have to say it?"_

_"Say what?" I ask anoyed._

_"You are in lo-"_

_"That's none of your Goddamn buisness!"_

_"...love with Ash" _God, I sometimes hate this guy...

"Did I do that good? Or did you just miss me?" I ask, jokingly of course. I won't ever doubt or reject anything Ash does.

"In your dreams _private_. She says teasingly, pushing me away. I'm just glad because I don't have to fill out letters to your old folks."

"Yeah, you missed me." I slide out of her grasp, and look over to our Quarian friends; my eyesight is almost completely back, so I can see that they are embraced in a deep and passionate conversation in what I guess is Kheelish, their own language. Once in a while, Tali says something, and John looks at me. I wonder what she says.

About that time, I note the two new members of the squad. It's another turian; Garrus! _Yes!_ And a krogan: WREX! _Alriiight! We're on a roll here. We've gathered the entire team minus Liara. I think she's on Therum or something._

I better introduce myself to them. I walk over to the Turian, and extend my hand;

"Private Thomas Fisher, Normandy crew." Garrus takes my hand and replies;

"Officer Garrus Vakarian. C-Sec. and I believe we have to talk young man." He gives me a stern but also humorous look;

"About what?"

"You slapped my superior in the face, right in the middle of C-Sec. Son… I'm gonna have to buy you a drink sometimes." Oh I'm screwed and- wait what?

"… I'm not sure I follow Garrus, may I say Garrus?" he nods. "I assaulted and insulted your boss, right in everyone's sight… and you want to thank me?"

"Yeah, never got to smack him myself. He stonewalled me during my investigation on Saren, and I've wanted to lay my hands on him ever since."

"Well, when you put it that way." I say, and when he turns to speak with Ash, I see it as my cue to greet Wrex. The big badass is leaning against the wall, turning his shotgun between his hands. He is big. And I mean Biiig. He towers over me with almost half a meter, and that would be if I stood on my toes. His armor is all red, just as his head-thing. Gotta find out what that actually IS someday, but for now, I just say hello;

"Hey there Urdnot. Private Thomas Fisher. It's an honor to meet you Wrex." Better turn on the charm here. He could rip me in half for a good word.

"Hmmm… How did you know my name?" he turns his head, so that his right eye is right in front of me, while his left eye is out of sight.

"You've gotta be kidding me? Who the hell hasn't heard about you Wrex? Even for a krogan you're badass. You took down a Thresher Maw during your rite. Only other person I know of, who's done that is sitting over there." I point at John.

"Hmmm… at least you're not like the rest of your kind, scared shitless wherever I appear. You might actually have a quad. Maybe…"

"I'll take that as a compliment Wrex." And as I say these last words, John comes up to us, and drags me aside;

"Thomas, I am nowhere near mad, but why didn't you tell me that it was Tali, my Tali, you had found?"_ His Tali? Not that I'm worried, but Nic might not be happy._

"Hmm… hm… John, that… is a somewhat strange story. See, when I was talking with my friend in Doctor Michelle's clinic, suddenly the doors open, and she" I gesture at Tali. "Staggers inside with gunshots in the arm. Before I knew it, the doc had drafted me in for surgery, and had me… help her, while she removed the rounds from Tali's arm. When we were done, I had to patch her up again, and then we let her sleep it off. Then, she started mumbling about a meeting while she slept, and I assumed it was important. Turns out, she has some data on Saren that just might help us out. I figured that, since they wouldn't listen to you guys, we should give the data to the Shadow broker and have _him_ deliver it to the council. Fist was supposed to meet Tali here, so I tagged along with her. When we realized it was a setup, it was too late. Then Tali threw some kind of flash bang, and I went blind. I have only now regained my sight, and it seems I missed the reunion between you two. Since you weren't talking in any language we can understand, I assume it was very private?"

"… Well, yes. It was private. And Thomas?"

"Yeah mate?"

"Thanks for saving her."

"Don't mention it" I reply with a smile.

"With this new data, we should be able to convince the council to at least strip Saren of his status as a Spectre. Let's get back to Udina's office."

"Yeah, but before that, I need to pick up someone. The Normandy could use a good cook, and my old friend is one of those."

"Alright, just meet us up there." And I run off in the direction of the clinic.

* * *

**Alright, so we found out just what the "strange thing" the voice felt was. Another dude from the past! **

**Disclaimer: Just as with John, I have used Tali from "Born Quarian". **


	6. All hail the Chief

**A/N: So, this has been underway for some time. There will be some sentenses in this chapter that very few of you will be able to understand, which is also why I'm gonna start making a "dictionary" for those sentenses. Some of the words will be explained in-story, so you shouldn't have any trouble with those.**

**Also, some of you may recognize the name "Miller and McCarthy" from "Welcome to the Family" by theRev28. If you haven't done so yet, read his stories. He was one of the major authors who inspirred me to write this. **

**A acknowledgement: "The Master" who pointed out that my translation of the word "Krosis" was wrong. The proper translation is "This brings me sorrow"**

**_I am well aware of that fact, but had some trouble finding the real translation. I have long used it as a term of curse, and will continue doing so. However, it should be made clear that i will take your correction into accountance._  
**

**Alright, enjoy but don't read it too fast, High School is a time killer, so it will be some time before the next chapter is out.**

* * *

**All hail the Chief**

We're standing in Udina's office again. And the guy in mention is standing, leaning against the railing that prevents him from falling to the bottom the Presidium. He's looking ten years older since we saw him last time, and that's only one or two hours ago. He's putting both hands against his tired old face, and lets them glide across it. He turns to us;

"Well captain, looks like your crew has increased since I saw them last time… then it was only ONE alien, now it's four." He gives Wrex a long stare, possibly because of the old krogan's huge scars, three of them, crossing his face.

"Well, they were a great help to us, cleaning out Chora's Den and-"Ash is broken off when Udina hears the name and almost has a fit;

"And you people are NOT making my job any easier Sergeant! Firefights in the Wards, shootings in a public bar! And now I'm hearing reports of stealing patients from clinics and assaulting C-Sec officers!"

"Hey not fair! Nicolai is practically in tip-top shape! I just had him out of there a little sooner than the doctor had it planned. And besides, that turian bastard was a racist, called Quarians suit-rats and me a filthy primate!" I give Udina a stare, starting to understand just why someone really has it on for this man.

"Well I don't know what the tone was where you come from, but here on the Citadel, you have to get used to Quarians being seen as lesser people. A lesser race. This is mainly because of their little war with the geth." He looks at Tali and John, almost like THEY are to blame. _Okay, now I dislike the man, blaming Tali and John for something their ancestors did_…

"Is there a problem ambassador?" Anderson asks. Thank God for that man or I fear John might have punched Udina in the face. Which would be a bad thing. Just to make it clear.

"No, as long as you have a reason for bringing all these new aliens to my office." At this, John steps up. He's already quite assumed the leader-role, and he apparently speaks for the group;

"Yes we do Udina." He doesn't bother with the Ambassador title, and continues. "Wrex and Garrus Vakarian are both willing to help us take down Saren, and Tali here…" He turns toward Tali and looks at her with, I could almost swear, a smile. "has some new evidence against Saren".

"Is that so? Well, then maybe you better show us this evidence miss…?" apparently he wants to address her by last name only.

"Tali'Zorah. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." Tali obviously don't like the man. Probably because of the stare he gave her and John earlier. And she steps forward, and presses some digits on her Omni Tool, and suddenly, the well-known voice of Saren Arterius emerges from her arm. _Man, 'glad they didn't hit the tool when they shot her._

"Eden Prime was a major victory. It has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit." Suddenly, another voice speaks up. It's that Asari… what's her name, I can't remember it… but I'm pretty sure she's the mother of Liara…

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers." Damn, that's a cold voice.

"That's Sarens voice!" Anderson almost shouts.

"This proves he is involved! Great job Tali!" John says. He gives her shoulder a squeeze, but not the "friend" kind…. Something more. Well, I guess this decides it: I have to keep Nicolai away from Tali in that sense. Not that he can't be her friend, I would applaud it if that were to happen, but I've gotta make him know that she's taken. I, in turn, look to my right. Nicolai is standing there, and he saw it as well. There is a short sad look on his face, but his usual good mood soon returns.

"Yeah, good thing they didn't shoot your Omni Tool." He says.

"Damn right. That would have fucked up canon" I whisper to him.

"You could say that again."

"What or who are the reapers?" Kaidan speaks from behind me, and I mean **righ behind me**._ OH crap! I hope he didn't hear about "canon". That would be hard to explain._

"According to the geth's memory core, the reapers were a hyper advanced machine race that existed 50.000 years ago."

"So, they existed at the same time as the Protheans?" I ask. Well, I know this, but would be cool if the others knew it as well… just so I don't end up in some weird situation where I have to explain how I know about them.

"Yes. They hunted the Protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished. At least, that's what the geth believe." She doesn't sound very sure herself, but who can blame her; a returning race of super robotic space squids, capable of destroying a civilization more advanced than this? Hell, I'd wish I didn't believe it either.

"So… the vision I had on Eden Prime… I saw the reapers wiping out the Protheans!" John jumps in. _Good. Was wondering when he'd put two and two together._

"_Do you doubt his intelligence?"_

"_No, not at all… I was just hoping he would be able to see a connection. Hell, I would probably not have been able to figure it out."_

"Bet the Geth's worship them; one race of machines worshipping a bigger race of machines" Nicolai adds in. I look at him. He's not afraid to challenge pre-set conversations, I'll give him that. And why should he be? I mean, it's not like canon could be more messed up than it is, just by asking questions.

"We've got to present this to the council. They can't ignore this evidence! But, we will leave out the part with the reapers, it will be good enough if they believe Saren attacked a colony, and then get his status removed. We will tell them all we know, but try not to talk about ancient machines of doom." Udina is… nervous? Paging up and down the room. "All of you meet me in front of the stairs to the council in one hour. Then we'll see if they can deny this!"

"Well, this time we might actually convince them" I add. If all goes according to plan, we will. I turn to the rest of the group, Anderson in particular;

"Sir… I have a request." He looks at me, then at Nicolai. I think he's already guessed it, but he seems like he'll let me try and sell it.

"Well, out with it Fisher."

"You see sir, I managed to get a look at the food on the Normandy while we were en-route to the Citadel, and it didn't look like something that would heighten the morale of the crew… So I thought of my old friend Nicolai Tengberg, and I said to myself;"Thomas, the food here isn't worth writing about, and you know Nic is on the Citadel right now, and that he's a damn good cook." So I considered offering him a place aboard as the ships cook… and perhaps come with us on some missions… of course, Sir, you have the final saying here." I just pray Nicolai can cook Dextro, and that the time he spent in Baboon City's paintball-hall will be enough to get him hired.

"Hmm… ha… yeah, you are right at least that the food could be better. It's all dried provisions from last time we stocked at Acturus, and we are low on manpower… but why don't you let him speak for himself?" Oh crap, this is what I feared; Nicolai couldn't sell a diamond for a dollar, let alone himself for a job. I still wonder how he survived the interview at the Zoo… but Nicolai steps forward. I can see the nervousness in his eyes, but also something else… fright? No... Courage? No way… will? Well, that COULD be what it is, but let's see what he's got to say;

"Well sir. I have a good reputation back home when it comes to my food. Just never cooked for turians and Quarians before. But I can almost guarantee that at least the human crew along with whoever else can eat Amino- food will be content. As for the combat… I figure I can learn on the way. Hell, from what Thomas told me, he nailed geth after one day of training._ Shit man! Anderson doesn't know I've only had one day in boot camp!"_ I sometimes hate his bluntness. I also told him about my time in boot camp when I went to pick him up at the clinic… mistake. He immediately started questioning me, teasing me about Ash, and even asked me why I never tried making preps for the assault. _Well it wasn't like I had much forewarning was it? The stupid game never gave a date for the attack!_

"_So, are you okay with him telling Anderson that?"_

"_Well, the captain hasn't started yelling at me yet, and I'm still standing here, and not send away like a punished child, so… yeah, I think I'm good with it."_

"_Well, I could give him a nasty scare if you wante-"_

"_No scares. I need him sane. I'm amazed he still is after what he went through. I mean, remember how I reacted, even though you and Ash guided me through the Hell of inter-universal travel…. I got sick… remember?"_

"_How could I forget? It smelled like shit in there."_ Is he starting to pick up on my language? I actually think I would prefer him to keep his cool and almost British way of speaking.

"_I didn't know you could smell?"_

"_I am your memory, therefore also your senses… and yes, I left when you hugged Ash, don't worry"_

"_Thanks."_ Oh the captain is about to say something.

"Well, I guess we can afford one more man. Especially if he can make as good food as he claims." He gives Nicolai and me a long stare, but it isn't a hard one.

"Anyway, we'll see if there even IS a mission when we get back from the hearing. If there is, you are welcome aboard. If not, none of you are." Okay, that was a little harsh, but I know we'll get the council won over this time, so no worries there.

"If that is all captain, I need you to have a closer look at these evidences with me" Udina says. Guess that buys me some time to get some new leggings, and Nic a set of armor. I turn towards said man… guy… dude;

"Nicolai, we've got to get you some proper armor, and I've got to get some new leggings as well. My old… didn't quite make it of Eden Prime."

"Sure, but I've got to find some cookbooks as well… you know where there is a bookstore around here? Something in Danish or English? 'Cause there is no way I'm reading anything in non-human letters… I mean, come on! I can't."

"Danish? Oh crap that's right. I keep forgetting you're not actually an English speaker Thomas." Ash suddenly stands next to me._ She's right…. I haven't even tried to speak English, and everyone seems to understand me anyway. Better ask now;_

"Yeah, about that Ash… how come that I haven't had to even try and speak English when talking to you guys? I mean, I could always understand you, you ARE English, but how could I understand John, Tali, Garrus or Wrex?" she then gives me this weird look;

"Are you joking Thomas? Do you NOT know what a translator is? What the hell did you think it was I gave you, day one on Eden Prime? It wasn't for deaf people, let me tell you that."_ Oh yeah. Now that I think about it, she handed me some small earplug-thing when we walked the colony_. I just figured it was some kind of headphones for music from the Omni Tool._ Shows what I know._

"Uhhrr… would this be a bad time to say head-phones?"

"Phhhrrrttt… Ha! Christ Thomas, sometimes one would think you were from the last century! Oh God…. But honestly, what did you think; that it was for music?"

"…. I don't know…."

"Jesus…" she throws out her arms, and then proceeds to give me a knock on the shoulder. I fake pain;

"Ouch Ash, that really hurt my feelings… and my arm."

"Should I give you two some privacy?" Nicolai asks from behind me. I swear, I could have hit HIM right then and there, but he doesn't mean anything by it. 'Guess he's always been like that. Just because HE used to get all the girls back home. AND I used to tease him with them… and he teased me with not having any girl. _S.O.B… he hasn't changed a bit! _

"In his dreams. And by the way" she turns towards Nicolai. "I don't think we were introduced. Well, I know who you are, Thomas pretty much told your story back then, but has he mentioned me?"_ Oh crap! Nic, I beg of you, don't fuck me up here!_

"Well, I wouldn't know anything about the "kickass sergeant" who picked his sorry ass up from the railroads, but he might have mentioned a sweet girl somewhere in between, Gunnery Chief Williams." _ I actually don't know if that was good or bad…_ Ash then laughs. Well, I wasn't THAT bad apparently. ;

"Ha, well, I wouldn't know about the last part Mr. Tengberg, but I did find him half-dead under the rails yeah. He had taken an amount of alcohol that could kill a horse. Hence the Pu -"

"Yes, thank you Ash… I don't think Nicolai wants to hear about THAT part. I certainly don't." _Wait... I was drunk?_

"Whaaat?" Ash looks at me with that cocky smile, and _MAN_, I just can't keep the straight face;

"Listen Amigo, I'll tell you all about it later, but now, we've gotta find you some gear… and some for me as well. Ash, you're _allowed_ to tag along, as long as you don't mind having to listen to us bragging all the way from Hell to Heaven… Reminds me; Nic you wouldn't happen to know how to find "Two Steps from Hell" on the extranet? I miss my fav. music."

"We're about to go shop for armor, and you want your homework music?... but no, I haven't got the faintest clue. We'll find out about that later." Dammit, did he just use my own sentence against me? _Oh well._

"What about "Miller & McCarthy's"? They are supposed to have a large selection, plus its right next to what you _could_ call a bookstore." Ash says. Damn, either she lied about this being her first time on the citadel, or she has been sightseeing.

"How did you know? I thought this was your first time here?" I ask, with (I admit) a raised brow.

"I asked Garrus while we were heading to Chora's Den. I had thought about getting a new helmet as well; my old one was lost when we fled the colony." Oh, guess that explains it.

"So…. Where is this place anyway?" I have no idea, so we just follow Ash out the door.

"Oh, not far. We just have to take the stairs down to the Presidium reception, and then head in the direction of some kind of Krogan statue. Garrus wasn't really very descriptive." I think I heard something about a statue of a krogan on the Presidium… something about winning the Rachni war. As we head out the door, and down the stairs, this Indian guy speaks up;

"Excuse me! Excuse me, but are you Alliance military?" we stop and discover that he's actually speaking to us. He looks really worn down, like someone who's been robbed and can't get the police to help him;

"Yeah, we are… but why are you asking? Is everything alright?" the man somewhat brightens when he realizes that we actually pay attention to him;

"Yes. My name is Samesh Bhatia. My wife was in the 212 on Eden Prime."

"212… Ash, wasn't that OUR unit?" I hadn't really paid attention to the number before, but I guess that means there were more than one unit on Eden Prime. At least, I didn't see anyone else than the guys in the barracks, but maybe it was just women and men divided. Ash never slept in our barracks, that's for sure. So, our unit must have had more people than the ones in that barrack. Makes sense I suppose. Twenty-one marines would never have been enough to defend an entire colony in the case of say, a slaver attack.

"Yes, Bhatia… Nirali Bhatia; short dark hair, with a red mark on her forehead?" so Ash knew her? Dammit… I hope this doesn't add more to her survivor's guilt. _Not that I would mind another hugging-session, but it can't be easy for her._ I look at Ash, and as I thought, I do see the lines of, not sadness, but guilt or regret.

"You knew her? Then please, you must help me." Man, poor guy if his wife was killed when the geth poured in. I just notice something, although the timing is horrible; pretty much every human man I've seen so far is wearing the same clothes. That beige-white thing that looks like a jacket, but isn't… man, fashion really changed character… so to speak. But I'm losing focus. I can worry about fashion when we don't have a psychotic turian to hunt down;

"So what's the problem? Do you need to know if she's alive, MIA or dead?" I ask. I seriously can't remember this guy from any play through, so either everyone avoided him, or he's another canon-break.

"… No. I know that she was killed in the defense of the colony, but when I went to have her body delivered to me for cremation… they just turned me down. They wouldn't even tell me why or where she is. I just want to take her back to Earth for a proper ceremony, and give us both peace." Man, Alliance brass can't be THAT insensitive. There has got to be a good reason for them to deny this man the body of his own wife.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it." Ash is suddenly in a very determined mood. 'Guess I'm not really surprised; if I had had a good friend on Eden Prime, I would probably be the same way right now. But the closest thing was that guy Bolin, and we never really got to talk more than that first day.

"Thank you. The man you need to speak to is up the in the expensive café." Bhatia points towards a door on the right side of the reception, just up a staircase. "His name is Bosker. He has short brown hair and big lips." Big lips? What kind of description is that?

"Alright. We'll go have a chat with him." Ash says. And then we leave the man to wander around while waiting for us to return with good news… I hope. I don't really feel like having to carry down a shot-up body to her husband. Or returning with empty hands.

"Ash, I didn't know there were other marines on Prime? How come we never saw them?" I jog alongside Ash as we head for the stairs.

"Thomas, you were only there for two days, and you spend only one of them actually training. The two sections used to train on different days, seeing as the shooting range wasn't big enough to hold the entire 212."

"Sounds logical, I guess… so, did you know her?"

"Yes…" Ash bites her lip. She looks really stressed. Or something. "She agreed to take over training with the female group while I headed your group that day. Only because of her, because she agreed to that, did I even have a chance to escape. Her group… was right where the geth started their attack. They didn't even get to fight; they were just cut down in the mess hall. And it's just because I wanted to oversee your training…" She kinda cuts herself short there, as if she had said something she didn't mean to say. I wonder why.

"Ash, I -" what I was about to say, that she shouldn't feel guilty, is cut short when I spot the guy we were looking for; inside the bar or café, I really can't tell the difference here, a man is leaning against the wall. He's not really doing anything, so I'm guessing he's waiting for his food or drink to be ready. And oh man! The description was in no way inaccurate; his lips looks like someone glued two large snails on them, and then painted them pink. Imagine a monkey doing the duck-face thing, and you're close;

"Hey, you!" Ash is on the move, striding towards the man who is, by now, looking at the oncoming female warrior in her navy blues, with a slight worry in his eyes;

"Are you speaking to me ma'am?" _well, you're the one she's about to collide with buddy._

"Yes. Are you Mr. Bosker? The clerk in charge of Mr. Bhatia's case?" Ash is now standing in front of the man. She has her arms crossed in that "Don't even think about pissing me off" kind of way. If that was me, standing in front of her… I'd be scared. 'Looks like he is a little too.

"Yes. Is there some way I can help you?" his entire being just screams "**Bureaucrat!**" So I'm sure he and Ash will have fun.

"Well, you can start by giving him his wife back!" at her angry tone, several customers turn around to see what's going on. I almost wish Ash had kept her voice down, but there are times when I don't dare talk against her. This is one of such times.

"Well, I can _assure_ you that the Alliance has the best of reasons for holding on to the body. It is a valuable _asset_ to them, and she may end up saving more lives in death than she could in life. So, no. I am afraid he cannot have the body at the moment." Oh crap, I better break in before Ash tears him a new one. The way he's talking about one of her fellow marines, _**my**_ fellow marines too, I guess, like she is nothing but an object… Is bound to end up with him on the floor.

"I'm sorry, but why _do_ they need her? What _is_ the damn good reason for the brass to hold on to the body of this man's wife?" he turns his gaze towards me. Suddenly, he doesn't look that scared anymore. Probably because I'm not in armor, and since I don't have the stripes that Ash does, he takes me for some ensign or something;

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe I was speaking to _you_, pal. Why don't you stop following this officer around and go pla -"He doesn't really get to finish his speech, as Ash slaps him across the face. _Wow, did she just stand up for me?_ He looks at her, with the expression of surprise, a little fear and possibly arrogance. It changes however, when he sees the look in her eyes;

"What the - What was that for? What did I do to you?" he honestly looks like he's serious.

"Don't you dare speak like that, not about my deceased colleagues, and not to my fellow marines. I ought to drag you away, but I need you to release that body, so _fucking _release it!" by now, pretty much every single person in the place is following the scene. _Man, glad Ash isn't in politics_. The diplomat-clerk or whatever that arrogant bastard is, seems to take Ash seriously now. He fumbles with his Omni-tool, and then looks at us;

"Of course. It - it's already done. You can tell Mr. Bhatia that he can collect his wife's body, and that all fees have been taken care of." _On a second thought, maybe Ash __**should **__go into politics. She certainly get's results._

"That's what I wanted to hear. Now piss off." He obeys, backing off with both hands raised in a surrendering fashion. When he's out of the door, Ash looks at me with a very serious look in her eyes. Then, she just starts laughing. At first, I wonder what the hell is going on, but then I think of that arrogant guy's lips, and the way they almost started dancing after Ash slapped him, and I can't help but laugh as well._ Oh dear, that was just too good. 'Should have taped it._ When I finally look around, the entire place seems to have forgotten about us. No one seems to be staring at us anymore at least. I then note that Nicolai is still standing where he was sort of "dumped" when I jumped into the discussion. He just looks at us with a smile, and shakes his head;

"What?" I ask him.

"Never mind. I'll tell you later. Now, why don't we get back to Mister Bhatia and let him know that his wife is free to go… so to speak."

"Right. Let's go." I look at Ash who nods and we return down the stairs. When we reach Bhatia, he looks at us with an anxious look in his eyes;

"Well, what happened? Why are they holding my wife?" he asks pleadingly. Almost makes me sad, even though I know we bring him good news.

"Never mind that. She's free to go… be collected. We had a little chat with Mr. Bosker, and convinced him to see things from your point of view." The Indian man just stares at Ash, like had she said that his wife had risen from the grave and was now waiting for him.

"You… how?" then he seems to pull himself together, and almost smiles. _We brought him good news, but he still lost his wife._"Thank you. All of you. Thank you so, so much. Now I can give her a proper funeral, and get to say goodbye." He then lifts his arm, but instead of extending his hand, he turns on his Omni-tool and presses some… buttons? He then looks at us with a smile."There, for your trouble… and your help. And … now I must go. I must find my wife." When he's gone, Ash looks at her Omni-tool;

"What the - he just gave each of us 1000 credits!"

"Not to be the "ten-questions-guy", but isn't that quite a lot of money, especially times three?" Nicolai asks.

"You bet. This should easily pay for any kind of armor you guys need." Ash is a smile. It's more of a happy smile, different from the ones she sometimes gives me.

"Do we even have the time to go shopping" I ask. I have to buy an old watch, or not old for me, but Mass Effect old… Dammit, there I go again. Perhaps I should just learn to use the friggin' piece of software strapped to my arm.

"Now that you ask, no. we have about ten minutes before the hearing starts, and I want to be there, watching John and the captain rub the evidence in the council's noses." Ash seems… rather optimistic about this. Well, Nic and I are too, but we _know_ that it's gonna work out. Ash on the other hand? How could she know?

"Well, we've better get there then. I think the elevator to the Citadel Tower is right over… where?"

"Don't worry, I'll check on the station-map. Hold on a sec." she pulls out her Omni-tool again, and a large 3D-map of the Presidium suddenly appears in front of her, hovering over her left arm._ Okay, I've definitely got to learn how to do that! _"Well, seems to me we have to walk about 100 meters along the reservoirs, and we'll see and elevator that takes us to the Tower." Thank God for Ash and her ability to actually _use_ the Omni-tool. We'd be screwed without her.

"Well, I'd say we should get going." Nic says, and we leave for the tower.

"What took you guys so long?" Kaidan asks when we arrive, three minutes late.

"Sorry, bureaucracy" Is the only thing Ash says._ Well I can't really argue with that_

"Well, the others are already up there, and the hearing is underway. From what I can tell, it's going the right way. Udina is still angry, but it's more of an "why don't you do more?" way of angry than earlier. Now let's get up there." And as we proceed up the stairs I can hear Udina's voice;

"Send your fleets in!"

"A fleet cannot track down on man. We would also risk a full scale war with the terminus systems. Something we are not inclined to do for the time being." The Salarian councilor says.

"Send me. Sarens a threat to the Humanity and the Quarian people. I'll take care of him." What the… did John just volunteer to take on a psychotic reaper wielding, geth controlling biotic gunslinger of a turian ex-spectre? _Well, I guess that means _he_ is the one who's made spectre, seeing as the real Shep - no… I can't think like that anymore. HE is the real Shepard, and he needs our help if this is going to end well._ But this could be difficult: if Shepard didn't become a spectre, how should he get a ship. I doubt Anderson is just gonna give him the Normandy.

"Normally" the Asari councilor said "when a Spectre goes rouge, we send another spectre after him. Seeing as you are already tied to this case, it would seem appropriate, under normal circumstances, to make you a Spectre, and make Saren your first mission." _YES!_ "However, these are not normal circumstances; We will not make you a specter Shepard, despite your impressive record. The Quarian people simply isn't ready for this. _Well fuck you too_. Secondly, Nihlus is with you, and he will be the Spectre officially in charge of this case. You will, however, because of you affiliation with this case, be made the _unofficial _leader of this mission. We will be giving you what Intel we can, but officially, you report to Spectre Nihlus. You have our permission and order to bring down Saren any way you can, and with any means necessary." Okay, so they didn't make him a Spectre. From what I've seen in Nihlus so far, this doesn't have to mean John is out of the picture. As the councilor said, it was only officially Nihlus' mission. But I still wonder if Anderson is just going to give up the Normandy like in the game…_ Why do I keep thinking as if this is the game? This is real! I don't think you can feel fear or love in games… or, with fear, perhaps Amnesia is the exception._

"_Hmmm… Amnesia? Isn't that the ultra scarring game where you move about with some kind of monster following you?"_

"_Yeah, that's about the jest of it. I'm surprised you didn't know, you're supposed to know all that I know, right?"_

"_That is correct, but some things, some memories, even I wish to leave out"_

"_Wait, you can just do that? Forget things on command?" _

"_Yes. It has been a… somewhat useful ability over the centuries."_

"_I'd bet."_

So, John isn't a Spectre. 'Guess I should have seen that coming. He, Anderson, Nihlus, Udina, Tali, Wrex and Garrus are marching down the platform where those addressing the council usually stands. When John sees us, he turns to greet us, but he and Nihlus are almost immediately pulled over by Anderson and Udina. They speak in hushed tones, and I, not being the big guy on prying into other peoples' conversations, especially those private, keep to myself. Or rather the group. Garrus, Wrex and Tali has rejoined us, and I can tell, that while Garrus is obviously glad to get a chance at taking Saren down, Tali is definitely nervous. 'Guess I would be too, if I were to embark on a suicide mission and … oh wait.

"So, what did we miss?" I ask Garrus, guessing that Tali isn't in the mood for small talk right now. And if she were, it would probably be with John. _And I'm almost close to being pretty sure that something is going on between those two._

"Well, nothing much. The council was finally convinced that Saren is a bad guy, and they stripped him of his Spectre status. Then they agreed to send John and Nihlus after him. And I'm guessing we just tag along for the ride. 'Should be fun." Damn Garrus, your sense of humor and sarcasm is the same, I see. Good. This wouldn't be the same without it. John comes over to us. I wish I could judge his facial expression, but the glass only makes his eyes visible.

"Well, what was that about?" Nicolai asks. John looks at him, not knowing him very well, I guess he is trying to make out whether Nicolai is a racist or not. Well, he doesn't know him, and Nic is with me, so I think John tosses the "racist suspicion" out the airlock. In time, I bet they'll be great friends.

"Anderson was talking about some ways for me to have a chance to take down Saren. 'Says I need a ship and a crew. Problem is, I have neither, and the council isn't going to pay up to give me one."

"Well, I'm very sure a solution will present itself. But I won't say anything right now, I'm not _that_ sure."

"The hell are you talking about?" Wrex asks, his natural grumpiness shining through.

"Uhhrr… never mind..."_ okay, I really should have kept my mouth shut there. _When we walk down the stairs as a group, Nicolai pulls me back a few meters, and hits me on the shoulder;

"What the hell did you say that for? They'll get suspicious when Anderson gives up the Normandy."

"I know; I just couldn't help it."

"It's speaking like that that'll get our cover blown, and you should know that."

"Cover? Dude, I'm not in this to cover up who I am… I… just haven't told them yet."

"In other words; you don't want your cover blown...yet… and I am not much of a fan of having to tell John that he'll die a far too early and far too violent death by spacing."

"What?! He won't, even if I have to make sure of that myself… besides, you know damn well Cerberus would never even lift a finger to resurrect a Quarian."

"Well, just don't blow _my_ cover… at least not before someone knows about you… or if you need me to verify your story. Besides, I checked my pockets once I got up, and I've still got the BioCity ticket to "_The Hobbit"_ from 2013. If worst comes to pass, we… can use that as proof… but try not to do anything stupid, okay?"

"Yeah I know, but… I want to tell Ash at some point… _before_ Virmire."

"Well… I… I can understand that. Just make sure to only tell those you think won't cause a scene… so don't tell Joker" Nicolai suddenly looks nervous;"… He IS here, right?"

"Yeah, he is. And don't worry. I won't."

"Good, then let's get down. It'll only be a matter of time before they notice we're missing, and either leave us, or send someone up here to accidently hear what we said."

"True… let's go." As we head down the stairs, I see the group standing by the elevator. They are waiting for us, and Ash is tripping her foot. _Oh snap. That can't be a good thing._

"Rookie, are you too done playing around yet? We've only got an hour before we have to be at the Normandy again, and I don't think we'll get another chance to shop for some time. _If everything goes as I hope… then you have no idea how right you are._

"_Is the plan to let Sheppard die or to tell her the truth? Could it just be to let everything play out?"_ Hmm… was wondering what had become of him. He's been awfully quiet for some time.

"_Welcome back… and no, I don't plan on letting him die, neither am I ready to let Ash know yet… as for the last one? I don't really know. I'm pretty blind on everything except for the big missions mentioned on wiki and in the Genesis thing in ME2."_

"_So… it's just letting things play out then?"_

"_In the overall picture? Yeah, I think so. But no dying. That's a rule."_

"_I think I can abide by that. Remember I would feel your pain too."_

"_Yeah, really adds new meaning to "I feel you bro", doesn't it?"_

"_I wouldn't know."_

"_How can you _not_ know what that means? I thought you shared all my knowledge?"_

"_Your knowledge, yes. Not your weird sense of humor."_

"_Hey! It's not -"_Oh, Ash is saying something. Better pay attention to her. As much as I like her, I don't doubt for a sec that she would hesitate to smash me up, should I give her reason to do so.

"Thomas, why are you just standing there? The others have already left for the ship." She gives me a wondering look, as if to judge if I was mentally unstable;

"Oh… sorry about that. I guess I kinda zoomed out there" I look around to notice that she's right; me, her and Nic are the only one left. _Well, that was weird._

"Never mind that, let's just get going." And we head towards the elevator.

We stand in front of a large shop. Actually, it's more like a small mall with the front wall removed. There is a wall of glass expanding from one side of the entrance to the desk at the opposite side. A tall dark-haired guy is idle by the counter, reading in a magazine. I'd guess he's either Miller or the other guy. Forgot his name. There are long shelves filled with armor behind him, and the entire room, about the size of my parent's house. Not that big, but not that small again. The whole place is, like the rest of the Presidium, all white and a bit of black at some points. In the front of the place, just above the entrance, is the big "Miller and McCarthy" sign _oh yeah, that was it, McCarthy_. It's in holo, like most other signs around here. As we enter, a faint piece of music is heard. It's the same as in the elevator… _oh god that was an awkward trip;_

I thought that since I liked Ash, and Nic is one of my very best friends, the trip wouldn't be as awkward as people say it was in the game. But Jesus! We just stood there, no one really knew what to say, and the slightest cough made the other two turn on you with "What?" and "Huh?" I hope I never have to go through that again. At least, not with anyone but Ash, or Nicolai. Can't have those two together near me. I can't talk to him about Earth, and I can't be "Me" with her. Could be funny though, to watch John's reaction to the elevator ride. He might even enjoy the quiet… or he might start seeing faces again. Besides, from what I've heard, Garrus and Tali are a good combination in the elevator. Something about a shotgun. But… back to shopping.

"Well, I guess this is it. They are a lot… bigger than I'd have thought" Nicolai says. The guy at the desk hears him, and looks up. When he gets a look at Ash, he immediately gets the magazine away. _I wonder why he looked nervous when he saw Ash. She's not gonna rob the place… what _was_ he reading, I wonder?_

"Welcome to Miller and McCarthy. How can I help you?" he asks, quickly changing into a more… friendly attitude.

"We're looking for some new armor. He" She gestures towards me "need a new pair of leggings. I need a new helmet, hydra model, and he" She points at Nicolai" needs a whole set. Same model as us. Three hydras." _Hm.. so my armor was hydra? Wasn't aware of that. I thought it was… never mind._

"Yes, certainly. Who wants to go first?" he looks at us;

"Well, that'd be me." Nicolai steps up.

"And why is that?"I ask him, a little teasingly, I admit.

"I've still got to shop for cookbooks, so I figured I could do that while the two of you got yours done."

"Touché. I see your point there. Ash, where _is_ that bookstore?" I turn towards her, and she takes a hand to her chin and uses the other to support it. Kind of a thoughtful stance. _It looks good on her… then again, most things do._

"Hmm… let me see… I think it's outside and to the left. Down the way a hundred meters, and then that should be it on the right side. Just keep the lakes on your left, and you should be fine."

"Okay, thanks… well, let's get this over with, hydra it is my good sir." _Oh God, did he just use the "like a sir" from Memecenter? _I really hope no one actually heard him, 'because that sent chills to my bones. I don't even know if that site still exists... Or ever existed in this universe. So what if someone asks him what he just said, and he says "it's just something from Memecenter, and they ask him what it is… actually, I don't know if that would be the disaster I made it sound like…

"Well, if you would just follow me sir, we'll set you up with the appearances."

"Wait… appearances? As in what the armor should look like?"

"Yes. The prices are 700 credits for a hydra-combat suit, and 50 extra credits for the customization of the armor. It is, of course completely voluntarily to have the customization."

"To hell with that! Let's do this!" he is a little too ecstatic to act natural.

"Nicolai… calm the heck down, it's just armor. Hopefully you won't even need it."

"I know but…" he leans in close and whispers; "This is Mass Effect armor. You may have become used to it, but this is a first timer for me."

"Fair enough. We stay here, in case you need help." I can't help but smile.

"Yeah, yeah, you two just keep your hands to yourselves while I'm gone" _I hate that guy!_ Dammit, my cheeks are red-hot, and I really feel the hornets' nest in my stomach. Why did he have to say that while Ash is here? I mean, come on! He knows I haven't told her that I… kind of like… well, you know… she is very pretty… and she can kick some ass… _damn, I can't even argue with myself._

"_I am to your disposal if you need a partner in this inner argument of yours"_

"_No thank you, it was not actually intended"_

"_Hmmm… then I'll just go silent."_

"_You do that Hansi."_

"_Ahh… now that's the kind of humor I like. "The Julekalender_1_". Too bad you won't ever watch it again. _

"_You don't think I can just find it on the Extranet?"_

"_Well, you can try… but I wouldn't get my hopes up. That would be like finding the original programs for the first Mackintosh ever made… but go ahead."_

"_Nah, I… have a good memory. I'll just make do without."_

"_Suit yourself."_ And with that, he's quiet again. I know, because the… humming is it? It disappears whenever he "leaves" and comes back just before he says something… I actually only noticed that now.

"Fuck you Tengberg!" Ash shouts with a smile. She then catches my eyes, and quickly looks down… _was that flushing? I am almost sure I saw something read on her face… I wonder if... No, not now. We still have to find out if canon has been fucked up more than already revealed._

"So… do you know what John and Anderson talked about before?" she looks up, and the red is starting to fade away, but it was _definitely_ there.

"No… could be that Anderson is stepping down and leaving Nihlus the ship?" she looks a little worried… oh yeah she is a little xenophobic. 'Forgot about that.

"Hey, I doubt Anderson would leave the ship in Nihlus' hands…talons… you know what I mean. My point is that even though Nihlus is a competent Spectre, and he is, I hold my money on either John or Kaidan. Joker would never get the ship, 'because come on; he is a damn good pilot and can be funny as hell, but he wouldn't know the first thing about directing a crew. Kaidan is the first mate… is it still called that?" she nods. "And John has experience working with military teams. Plus, he's the one with this weird vision."

"Yeah… you may be right, but there is still something… strange about having either a Turian or a Quarian captaining a human ship."

"Well, technically, it's human-turian, but I get your point."

"And don't get me wrong, I am not negative about having Garrus and Tali and… what was his name? The krogan?"

"Wrex, Urdnot Wrex. A real badass there." Can't hurt to throw in a positive comment that might lighten Ash's mood a bit.

" - And Wrex aboard. I'm sure they're great people… well, Tali and Garrus… I'm still not sure about Wrex. Krogan aren't known for their wits and politeness, you know."

"Yeah, but I think you'll find Wrex to be an exception."

"And what makes you say that?" she leans against the glass wall and looks at me in a skeptical manner.

"You don't know anything about his past, do you?" I ask her. This is one of the few times I suspect I'll actually be able to dictate a conversation with Ash.

"No… what about it? What happened that I should know about?"

"Well, let's start with the fact that you are right in one aspect; Wrex is every bit as mean as his fellow Krogan when it comes to fighting. He took down a thresher maw on his own during his rite."

"Yeah, I thought I heard you say that… remind me; just what is this "rite"?

"Well, it's like a Quarian pilgrimage, or… when a human becomes a man, and moves away from home. Only on Tuchanka, it is about fighting everything the planet throws at you. That could be Warren, other krogan, klixen or even a bloody thresher maw."

"… So, when a krogan is becoming an adult, he's practically supposed to embark on a suicide mission?" Ash stares at me in disbelief. Can's actually believe she didn't know this. I mean, it _is_ her universe.

"So far though, you've only confirmed me that Wrex is violent. What makes him special?"

"… hmm… as far as I know, he had some kind of argument with his father about the future of their people. From what I've heard, the dad wanted them to stay violent and seek revenge for the Genophage, while Wrex wanted them to move on and rebuild. Now, if _that_ doesn't make him special, then nothing will."

"How did the argument turn out? Who gave in?" Ash actually looks interested in Wrex's story. But I don't even know if what I've just said is even known yet… so better not give away to much.

"Don't know. Back then I wasn't really paying attention, but it seemed Wrex left the planet in a hurry after that… so I'm guessing his father won, and he left in anger?"

"Could be… wouldn't want to meet someone who makes Wrex seem peaceful. Especially not after what happened in Chora's Den." She shudders._ What did happen there?_

"So… what happened in that bar? You never told me." She looks very tired all of a sudden. Like she's seen things she doesn't want to remember, but she looks at me and says;

"When we arrived with the group minus you, there were a lot of goons waiting for us. Turns out, Fist had turned on the Shadow Broker, and sold the Qua -Tali, to Sarens men. The guys who attacked the two of you worked for Saren."

"Well, what does that have to do with Wrex?" now I'm actually intrigued; Ash must have seen and killed other humans herself at some point. She's a soldier for the love of God. Isn't that what they do?

"When we had cornered Fist, John started interrogating him. It turned ugly. When Fist revealed that he had tricked and exploited another Quarian; Tali, John just snapped. He… he talked about Fist having to learn how being a Quarian was…" _Oh crap… I think I know where this is going. John said about the same with that Cerberus scientist while he cut off…_

"What happened Ash?" I walk over to her wall, and lean on it in front of her.

"John… he… he cut off two fingers on each of Fist's hands, then he pulled of Fist's shoes while Wrex held the man down, then he did the same thing with his feet… the guy just… screamed, screamed like I've never heard someone scream before. It was pure horror and pain. It just became too much for me… I ran out the room and got sick behind the bar's counter… then a loud bang, and John came out, followed by Wrex who said that John sure knew how to make a man scream. He complimented John on the torture Thomas! So… don't come here and tell me that Wrex is peaceful. Because he is not." _Damn… I knew John had some… issues, but the Cerberus man had tortured him in person. This guy? He had just exploited another Quarian. _I'd better never insult Tali… not that I think that'll be a problem, but I do NOT want to be on John's shit-list.

"Ash… I don't really know what to say. Other than some people handle stress differently, or are marked in different ways by what they experience… I can imagine what made John what he is today, but Wrex? That was just a _wrong_ comment." Seriously, to _enjoy_ something like that? I mean, I knew Krogan were violent and often killed their prisoners, but that? That was just… _barbaric_.

"Alright guys…and girls… now wait, just folks; how do I look?" Nicolai's voice brings me back to reality, forcing me and Ash to look his way. It's… I wouldn't say funny or hilarious… okay funny, but he chose to customize his armor, and he put a big yellow smiley across the chest. It doesn't become less of a "WTF" by the fact that the smiley is topped off by a horned Viking-helmet;

"Nic… Nicolai what the hell did you do with yourself?" I have to fight myself not to laugh, but he really looks funny. He looks a little surprised by my face; hand over mouth not to laugh.

"So, you don't like it?" he says, his mood souring a bit.

"Amigo, I love it. You will bring cheers to the battle, a welcome boost to morale." Besides me, Ash is just smiling and shaking her head;

"Well, as long as I'm not the one who's gonna wear it, you could have dressed pink for all I care."

"Ahh, I think that one belongs to Thomas here, he's _so much more in touch with his feminine side than me_" he says the last words with a pout-mouth, making him sound like a spoiled teenage-brat. It earns him a kick in the butt._ Damn Greenlander;_

"Hey hey, stop that, I haven't even paid for it yet… speaking of which" He looks at Ash. "I'm…. a little rusty with digital transfer of money… can you help me out here Chief?" he looks at Ash with big doggy-eyes.

"Only if you put that face away, before I do it for you." Ahh, her witty remarks are a Spartan worthy… I think.

"Can do ma'am." He smiles, and Ash leaves me for Nicolai _Noooo!_ Just kidding, you know what I mean.

"_Who are you talking to?"_ damn, the voice again, gotta start listening for that hum.

"_Uhhrr… you?"_

"_Oh, fair enough, and yes, I know you are joking about Ash. From my eyes at least, it is almost certain that she has some feelings of romantic character for you."_

"_While that's great, and it really is, I have to wonder how I in this universe makes the woman of my dreams fall in love with me, while back on Earth, the girls wouldn't even look in my direction."_

"_Then, why don't you tell her?" _Oh crap… the love guru is back.

"_Well, because it's not that simple. You don't just waltz up to a girl and say; "Hey, I like you, wanna date?" You just don't."_

"_I could do it for you" _Yeah, no tha -what?

"_What do you mean by that?"_ while I'm asking, Ash is standing with her side to me, talking with the shop owner. Her forms and curves are visible through the dark clothes she wears when not in armor, her brea - No! F**ck, I just thought I had lost that pervy SOB. And it was just gathering strength for a new attack. Stupid brain.

"_Want me to turn it off?"_

"_Is that supposed to be a joke? Because that was even worse than what EDI would come up with."_

"_I enjoy the sight of brains on their knees"_

"_Shut up…"_ Aaand he's gone. Weird, can I actually _make _him disappear?

"Alright, that'd be 750 credits for the entire suit and the customization." There is a sound of digital cash being transferred, a sort of _ping_, and then Nicolai turns around and waltz nonchalantly towards me;

"Well, Imma take dis baby out for a spin" he says in his best slang. It's really horrible. He heads for the entrance/exit and looks back at me;

"Don't take too long you two. I might get ideas." And he ends his comment with an evil laugh. Ash sighs;

"I can't believe you two are actually friends… the way you threat each other… is more like two guys who really hate each other." I shrug and smile;

"Yeah, but that's just how we are. We _were_ always called weird back home."

"Oh yeah, you never told me; Where _is_ your home? I mean, where do you come from?" Oh boy. This could turn bad. I don't even know if Denmark is still a Sovereign nation or part of the Systems Alliance now. _Oh hell, might as well go for it._

"Europe. Denmark to be more precise. I lived in a big city; Aarhus. It's the biggest next to Copenhagen, our capital city. I worked at the docks and had an asshole of a boss. I've lived in Aarhus all my life, but I left when… I lost my family due to a train accident. I just couldn't stand it anymore, so I picked up and left the day after that."

"Train accident? You mean like the monorail I found you under?" _What? Don't they still use regular trains in Mass Effect?_

"No, Aarhus has a couple of old-fashion freight trains that run along the harbor. It was one of them that… ended it…"

"Shit… Thomas, I'm sorry… I didn't mean for you to… sorry…" Ash looks down at her feet.

"Hey, it's okay. You didn't have anything to do with it, and besides…I hated my old job" this earns me a small laugh, and she looks up again.

"He sounds like a hardass, your old boss... Like me?"

"Naah, you're much worse Chief." This in turn, earns me a chuckle and a very sore arm. I'm about to reprimand her or something, when a voice cuts in;

"Ahem… if you would like, we could get on with your armors?" The Miller guy is standing like he's been watching us for some time. Guess his patience ran out. Still, he seems to be in a good mood. Probably thinks we're together… _and why not? I mean, I like her… and I think… hope she likes me too. It would just be awkward if he made some comments based on that._

"Yeah, sure. I'll go in first, and then I'll wait for you out here Chief."

"Hah, no way Rookie, I'm your superior officer, so _I _go first in." Dammit Ash, I hate it when you pull that crap about ranks. At least Kaidan doesn't appear to do that. But Hell, I can't be mad at her… unless she drugged me and cut of my… well, you know what I mean.

"Alright _Ma'am_. I'll wait here." I put as much sarcasm into the word "ma'am" as I can without making it sound negative.

"That's better. I'll be right out." And she and Miller leave for the armory. Or shop. I guess it is an armory, since it's got armor.

"_So… how am I doing so far?" _might as well have a conversation with my mind while I wait. There is nothing absurd about that, is there?

"_Well, you avoided the fact that you were the one killed in the train accident, and not your family. That would work, since they are dead anywa-"_

"_Yeah, I know that. No reason to elaborate, okay?"_

"_I apologize. But other than that… why did Ash hit you?"_

"… _You mean, you don't understand?"_

"_I know the knowledge, the facts in your head. Not the things you understand about women."_

"_Oh boy… Well I'm not gonna explain those things to you right now."_

"_Got anything better to do? Think about Ash perhaps?"_ I swear, I can almost _hear_ a smug in his voice.

"_Bastard… okay, Nic and I hit each other for fun, you know?"_

"_Where's the fun in that?"_

"_Well, I don't really know… I guess it just is fun… you know?"_

"_Moving on, what about Ash hitting you?"_

"_Eehhhrrr… not really sure I understand the question?"_

"_Is it fun having __**her**_ _punching you?"_

"…_. You wouldn't understand that. It's because… well, it's… I like it because… urhhg, you wouldn't understand it!" _

"… _I see. So… it's __**that**_ _kind of "funny" when she hits you?"_

"_I… guess so. Look, this is really awkward talking about. Can we please drop it?"_

"_Okay, and by the way, it's your turn now…"_Ehh?

"_My turn to wha- oh"_ Ash is out of the armory again with an almost white helmet in her hands. It has that pink stripe down the front, the same from the cover of ME1. _Why is it I keep thinking in games? This is _f**king _real life!"_

_Wait, how could you know that? I wasn't even looking in that direction?"_

"_Who said I was limited to your sight? I can see perfectly well on my own."_

"_That would have been nice to kno -"_

"Alright Thomas, your turn."

"Oh, yeah right. I'll get going then. Would you mind checking up on Nic over there? Make sure he doesn't get lost?"

"Sure. 'Think you can find your way over there?"

"Hey, I'm the Flying Rookie right? Sure I can. You just get going."

"Alright. Think you can handle the transactions yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm not a baby you know."

"Oh, that can be discussed." And with that, she gives me a soft punch on the arm, smiles and leaves the building. When I look after her, I notice her forms moving under the clothes… _okay brain, I'll give you that one. It __**does**__ look good._

"Well, last call before closing'" I hear Millers voice behind me. "Nah, not really. We've got plenty of time."

"Oh, okay" I was nervous for a minute that we had been keeping the guy at work.

"You should know that we have several models for display when it comes to leggings. You can, of course just stick with the model, but we've also got other adjustable leggings that will fit just fine. If you will follow me?" And I follow Miller through the entrance to the armory, and I am, to say the least, astonished by the sheer amount of models. There are more different helmets, hard-suits and armors-sets in here, than I could count all day."

"Well Shit! _Det var ligegodt Satans!"_2

"What'd you say?" he looks back at me. Apparently, that didn't translate to English.

"Uhhrr, nothing. Where do we go for the leggings and boots?"

"Oh yeah, that's right. Your girlfriend told me you lost both boots and leggings due to an explosion." _Girlfriend!? What did he just say?_

"What do you mean _girlfriend_"?" I ask the guy. He stops and looks back at me.

"Oh, I just assumed with the way you were acting with each other, that you guys were a thing"

"Oh… well, it's nothing of that sort really… it's more like…"

"Friends with benefits?" he asks with a smug smile.

"What tha? No! It's nothing like that you cheeky bastard!"

"Well, sorry I asked… shall we move on?"

"Yeah…" and we go into a room with legs and boots only. I don't know about the leggings, but I immediately fall in love with a pair of black boots. I know, that sounds like some teenage girl, but they are just… perfect. It's a pair of armored boots that much resemble a pair of heavy civilian boots, like a pair of winter boots, just without the warm stuff inside, and clad with ceramic plates and other stuff. I pick them up;

"Can I try them on?"

"Sure, but do you even know if they are your size? What is it anyway?"

"Hmm… 45, I guess."

"Oh… then, they **are **your size. Talk about a coincidence there."

"Yeah… you could say that." I shrug.

The boots feels like they are sown to me, fitting me like a dream. I have made up my mind. These are just perfect. So I'll take them and some normal leggings, then I'll get some customization myself. No way Nic's the only one who should look… I wouldn't say cool, but mine is gonna look cool;

"Alright. I'll take these and the Hydra-model's leggings. Then I would like to view the customization for the entire suit, minus the boots."

"Splendid! That'll amount to 350 credits."

"Sounds like you've got yourself a deal. But first, let's get this wrapped up."

Okay, so I am at this panel, and the Miller guy has just inserted my armor, which I by the way had brought here by one of the place's errand boys. I press this button, and the whole thing starts making sounds like some cheap sci-fi movie effects. Then an image of my armor appears on a big screen, or actually, it's one of those floating holo-screen-things. I am then presented with a wide array of possibilities and other stuff, like color, patterns, symbols and you name it. It takes some browsing, but when I'm done, I do dare say I don't regret my choice:

It's really quite… funny. I chose something in the bottom of the screens, something no one had chosen before, and this shop has been here for about seven years. It's Santa Clause, sitting on a missile, armed with an Avenger rifle. I really think it suits me… not because I believe in Santa Clause, but because it just gives away the title; "Santa Clause with a gun"… actually, I think that's a trophy from some old FPS-game, but I can't really remember it. I can't help but grin as the armor emerges from the machine, my new "logo" printed all over the chest. it's just one logo, but it's as big as the entire chest piece. _This is art. _

"Okay mate, you're the first to have chosen this armor painting, so you'll get a discount"

"Really? Great! How much do I have to pay then?" Man, I get a cool painting, AND a discount?

"Hmm, let's see. Before it was 350 credits, now it's 349 credits." Yea - What? ONE credit?

"Hmpf, cheeky bastard. Alright, let's get this over with." And he just responds with a smile.

"Wanna pay cash or digital?"

"Well, seeing as I don't have any physical credits on me, I'd say digital… buuut… I haven't done this in a while, so perhaps you could help me out here?"

"Huh? You too? What's up with you and your friend? One should think you've never spend a credit in your life." _You've got no idea how right you are._ But I keep that comment to myself.

"Alright, you just need to smack in your account, withdraw the said amount from it, and then hold your Omni-tool over the counter. Then I'll take care of the rest."

Okay. I have to find out just how I do that. I open the standard menu for the Omni-tool; _Okay, how hard can this be? Let's see here... okay, that one's called financial, so that should be somewhat the right thing, let's log into that… okay, now I've got allowance, banks and different shops in my near vicinity. Let's go with banks… oh… this is interesting: _there are some different options, one being rent -adjustment, another loans and another payouts. There are a lot of these, but I find the one I'm interested in; the account. _Okay, first time user… set up password? Hmmm…. Video Game._ Should anyone figure that one out, I'll have bigger problems than an empty account._ Okay, funds ready for transfer; 10.000 credits from Alliance Enrollment payout, nice. And there are the 1000 credits Mr. Bhatia gave us. Okay, how to withdraw money… _there is a little icon in the bottom, spelling "Payouts". I click it. I then set the amount at 349 credits, and press enter. _Connect to partner. _Guess that must be Mr. Miller here, so I point the tool at him, and he pulls out his own tool. A few moments of buzzing passes by, and he shuts down his tool.

"That'll be all. You can just collect your wares, and meet your friends in "De'Nanga's bookstore." I'm sure they'll be… eager to see your new design." He gives me the smug smile again. _I'm starting to think he's laughing at me. Oh well, can't be bothered by that._ I thank him, and walk down the street. Truth be told, it was kinda awkward walking to the bookstore in full armor, but I managed to endure it by thinking about how much cooler my design were than Nic's… at least in my eyes. When I reach the bookstore, I find Nicolai and Ash starring at some books in the History of Humanity section. Yes, there is an actual section dedicated to our history. Kinda cool actually, since the one about Asari is much smaller.

"Hey girls, found anything?" I hail them, making them stand up and turn my way.

"Don't know sissy... Still believe in Santa I see?" Dammit, why did he have to make me embarrassed with my own armor?

"Yeah, Yeah. You'd wish you had chosen this, you know it." He shrugs and gives me a smile. Ash just shakes her head.

"You two _really_ are something else, you know that?"

"Told ya, we **were** always called weird back home" I say with a grin. She just sighs.

"Well, Nicolai apparently only knows how to make human food from the "good old days" as he says. He actually managed to find some old cookbooks from the 21'Century, don't ask me why or how. We just need the dextro cookbooks now, but then we stumbled over this, and now he wants to buy a lot of history books… never figured him for a nerd."

"Hey, it's… a personal thing I have. I'm just really interested in the 21'Century… call me sentimental."

"Okay, you're sentimental, but did you even get to _look_ for a Dextro cookbook? We have to be by the ship in" I look on my timer, another function I've learned while walking from the shop to here. "seventeen minutes". Nicolai looks up.

"Christ, it's been an hour already? Better help me look then."

"No worries, found it!" Ash's voice sound from behind some bookshelves.

"Ahh, you've really scored there mate" he whispers while puffing me with an elbow. I retaliate by hitting him on the shoulder;

"Ow! What was that for?" He says in his fake-pain voice. _God, I miss those wrestles we used to have. Even though he usually ended up the winner. He had reach, I had… Wait a second; this thought is going the wrong way… I don't wanna sound like Garrus describing a hot date._

"Alright, let me see that… Ash, this is in Kheelish or some other language I can't read… so how should Nic be able to?"

"Thomas… have you seriously **never** heard of the translator add-ons?"

"….Would it tremendously decrease what you think of me if I said no?"

"Does that mean you **don't **know? Thomas, how the Hell did you think you were able to speak with Garrus or Tali? 'Think they just learned English?... remember that little earplug I gave you, which I **specifically **stated was a translator?"

"Oh… yeah, that's right. By the way, do you have an extra one for Nic? I think he might have been a little weirded out by the fact that I spoke well to the others, while he couldn't understand a thing."

"Crap that's right… ehh, let me see… I know I had one somewhere around here…" while she starts going over her pockets, Nicolai just looks at me with a sheepish smile.

"What?"

"Dude… you actually **forgot** how you can understand them?"

"Well… I've had a lot on my mind lately, okay?"

"Or someo -"He doesn't get to finish the sentence, as I give him a hard punch on the shoulder.

"OUW! What the hell was that for man?" I then lean in close to him;

"Don't talk about that when Ash is around! You're gonna make me flush again!" he then get's that really annoying smile on his face again;

"Oooohh! I see… don't worry, my lips are sealed." _Man… sometimes he's… wouldn't say idiotic, but his sense of humor could __**really**__ be better._

"If you two are done, maybe we should pay for this and get out of here?" Ash is standing with her arms crossed, looking to the world like a annoyed mother with two annoying kids.

"Yeah, sorry ma'am." Nicolai says.

"For the last time; call me Ash. I hate it when someone calls me "ma'am" outside of duty."

"Suits me just fine Ash, but Nic may have trouble with it?"

"Douche… No Ash, I have no problems with that."

"Good, then move out! To the counter! March!" What the hell? Did she just go all Chief on him? Oh well, as long as it isn't me. Nicolai does seem a little bewildered as well, but I think he gets the joke… or I hope it's a joke.

"Yeah son, what'd it be?" the old guy behind the counter looks at Nicolai, and the combination of Ash's commands and his somewhat bored stare… it's just priceless.

"T-these." He then smacks the books on the counter, four in total; "_Cooking for Turians", "Human evolution into space", "First Contact-War" _and _"Human tastes; a guide to a happy belly"_ that last one sounds more like a children's cookbook, but if it's good, then screw the title.

"Alright, that'd be… 210 credits." Damn, that leaves him with fewer than 100 credits left. I think that if we're too have something descent to eat, we've got to make the Alliance pay for it, or extend the shore leave and get him more pay… actually, I don't know if he has to pay for the raw materials and such himself, or if the job covers it.

"Okay… how was it I… oh, there it is; account and payout. 210 credits on the way." He's being awfully calm about almost being broke.

"Good day sir." And with that, our ship's new cook has achieved the first goal; getting his cookbooks… along with some other things. We walk out of there, me and Nicolai hauling books; he carries the cookbooks, while I get to take the history books. Guess it's only fair; he paid for them, and if I wanna read them as well, I should at least help him carry them back to the ship. For people around us, it must look like we're Ash's personal slaves, hauling goods while she walks. Oh well, at least it's only books.

"You know what I'm gonna do the second I get on the Normandy Thomas?" Nicolai asks while we walk.

"No, what?"

"Go chat with Joker." He smiles. Oh yeah, he always loved that cripple. Well, who didn't? but still, could be fun to see who would crack down first: Nicolai with cramps, or Joker with a painful chest; his Vroliks Syndrome really must make life hard on him.

"Yeah, you two have fun. I'm gonna pay the gym a visit. Just don't forget that you've got a job now. Better make some good food, or Anderson will have your ass… or is it Nihlus? 'Point is, make some good food."

"Don't worry, if the Normandy actually has a kitchen, then I'll just need to write a list and either send someone to fetch the stuff, or go there myself."

"And what, Oh mighty and good cook, might that be?"

"Oh, nothing special, but I'll give you a hint. It's something I've made for you before."

"Is that a hint? You've made tons of different kinds of food for me before."

"Yeah I know, and that's why you know that what I'm gonna make is gonna be good"

"Come on mate! What IS it?"

"Na ah, not gonna tell…" Dammit, sometimes he's such a dork. But only sometimes. Bottom-line he's a good guy.

We arrive at the ship to find a familiar scene; Anderson and Udina are, together with Nihlus, John, Tali and the rest, standing by the ships docking tube. They are in some kind of discussion, and it appears that John is waving pretty surprised. He takes a step back from Anderson and leans against the rail. _Surprised? Guess he became the commander. Seems right, as I can now call him; "Commander Shepard" without penalty. And with penalty, I mean someone asking why the heck I salute a Quarian._

"_Wasn't this what you hoped for?"_

"_Yeah, but I'm still a little… shocked over hearing what he did to Fist in Chora's Den."_

"_What would you have done if it was Ash he had sent into almost certain death?"_

"_Good point; I would have saved her, then come back and cut off his balls with his own nails and… never mind. You're right, as usual."_

"_Glad you finally realized it." _Did he just sound… I don't know, annoyed? Confident?

John and the rest turn around when they discover our arrival. Tali almost jumps at us while yelling;

"EEEEEE! Can you believe it! They made John the commander of the Normandy! The most advanced ship in the human alliance! And I get to work on it's drive core! I. get. to. work. on. a. Tantalus. drive. core!" she's completely ecstatic… Man, you never saw her like this before the romance in the second game… she's so happy that it's hard not to be infected.

"Calm down Tali! You already knew you were coming along, why is this surprising? From what I've heard of your people, we couldn't get a better engineer than you… or perhaps John, but he's the commander, so I guess he won't be doing the dirty work." I smile. If Tali were cute in the game, she's just adorable now. Christ, if she had been my little sister, we would never have had an argument. Even though her current suit doesn't have that purple… Realk I think it's called? The head-cloth thing. It's more of a dull purple right now. Guess that's the Zorah color. Can't remember if Tali's father… _oh boy_… she's gonna loose her father on that ship…

"_If you start worrying about those things already, you're gonna go crazy… you know that, right?"_

"_Yeah, I know… but you can see how devastated she was in the second game. 'don't know if I could handle that in real life…"_

"_Which is what we're doing right now. So stop worrying about the future, and worry about the now. Or I'm gonna spill your secret to the entire gang right here and now."_

"_Wait! Wait can you just do that?! I mean, how?"_ as if to answer, my mouth suddenly begins to open and close, and I have no _f**king power over it!_

"_Okay! Okay… I get it; no worrying about the future… but don't ever do that again. It was __**really**__ unpleasant."_

"_Sorry, but I felt it was necessary in order to show you how critical it is that you focus on the here and now. And remember, I'll know it if you falter in this."_Sigh…

"So Thomas… 'Guess you were right" Ash says next to me.

"In what?" I don't really know what she's talking about.

"You said the best chances were for John to be the next captain, and here we are."

"Hey wait, I just said it might happen. How was I supposed to know he would actually become our new commander? Hell, had I known that, I would have made you a bet."

"Or perhaps you were playing the role of the gentleman, not wanting to exploit a weak and defenseless woman."

"Or perhaps, you would have kicked my ass into the next century, had I tricked you like that."

"You know" Ash suddenly gets that devilish glint in her eyes. "**That** can still be arranged. Meet me in the gym when you've got the time, and we'll see just _how _far I can kick your ass."

"Whoa, you'll go easy on me right?" I hold up my hands in defense.

"What makes you think that?" she has a really devilish look in her eyes now. I really hope she's just yanking me around.

"Well… I'm your savior in shiny armor, taking rockets to the feet and books to the face."

"Hmmm… nope." _Oh come on Ash!_

"_Warn me when you embark on this train of pain, and I'll shut down my nerves."_

"_Can't you shut down mine as well? Please?"_

"_That would kill you… so no"_

"_Rats."_

When Nicolai finally enters the CIC, I swear; I've seen him react to some pretty messed up shit; Me getting thrown off a horse, landing on his face, him swimming right into a jellyfish, one of the nasty ones, face first, or the time when I told him about how my crush had slapped me for saying it looked like she had a moustache, she was Turkish, and I think it was my comment rather than the response that made him gape… but this? Man, his face is like "OH MY GOD!" and his jaw could have hit the floor. It doesn't get better, or actually, it get's way better, when Joker himself swings around to greet our new guests. The second Nic lays eyes on him, he drops the books and damn near faints on me. _ Oh Hell no Amigo! Not in front of Joker, or you'll never hear the end of it!_ He does manage to stay on his feet and picks up his books;

"Something wrong with your friend Thomas?" He asks.

"No, he's just… not used to being on ships… don't worry, it'll pass. By the way, he's also the guy who's gonna make your dinner, so you better keep on his good side or he might slip in some laxative." I give Joker an evil smile.

"Oh yeah, well I'll just turn the ship when he's working, or turn off the gravity." Really? Was that the best he could do?

"Again, no dinner." I just state.

"Yeah well, when you put it like that, maybe I should go easy on him. You know, for the crew's sake."

"Sure, the _crew_. It's not like you would be hungry? He makes a good Curry Chicken." Suddenly Nicolai turns and looks at me;

"How the hell did you guess?" He looks a little sour. _Oh, so that was the surprise dinner._

"Well, you just told me, right now. I just mentioned some of the food you've made in the past."

"Help me carry these down, wherever the kitchen is, then buzz off." Oh, is he mad?

"Wanna listen to some "Two steps from Hell" instead?" I ask him. It's a joke, of course. I have no idea where to find that right now.

"You go two steps from Hell!" And it may not sound like it, but that sentence is proof that he isn't really mad. "Now help me find the kitchen. I have no idea where I'm going."

As he proceeds down the CIC, I can see him go into what I've identified as the room where they saw the attack transmission… but Ash was with me all the time, so who sent the transmission? I wonder… all the other marines were killed before they could even get their weapons out, so… **did** anyone even send a transmission? I'd better ask Nihlus later, but in some way that doesn't tell him I knew about it from the start. He then proceeds to quickly march right out the room again, taking a turn to the right and finally discovering the stairs to deck II. Well, that is if the CIC is on deck I. I don't know if they added another floor, since they already added a small gym.

"Hey Amigo, you lost already?" I am a bad guy, I know, I know… but this was just priceless. Only thing that would make this better would be… while my thoughts go on, Nihlus sticks his head out and looks at me; "

Fisher, if you don't mind, please tell our new chef not to disturb me while I'm writing my reports." I look at Nicolai and he's just… he looks like someone who dropped right into a scene from SAW. I jog up alongside him, still clinging on to the books;

"Dude, are you okay?" he turns his head, and looks at me. _Crap, he must have seen some really disturbing shit._

"Those… vids… those vids…. He watched… vids…." Nicolai is trembling… _Nihlus, just what the hell did you show him?_

"Biting… screeching… biting… pain…. It was horrible…."

"Nicolai! Talk to me! Was he watching a horror vid? A report on cannibalism? What happened?"

"Don't want to talk about it… gotta find the bathroom first. Where are the toilets?" I can't make myself laugh at him anymore, so I just grab his shoulder and guide him down to the crew quarters. When he sees the WC sign, he simply drops the books, and proceeds to run inside and sacrifice in the bowl. After about a minute or so, he looks up, face all slimy with… well, I don't really wanna know;

"He… he was watching… it was… turians… making out… so horrib-!" and with that, he continues to sacrifice. Okay, I am almost losing my hunger for the Chicken now.

Someone knocks on the door;

"Who is it?" Nicolai manages to lift his head out of the bowl, and even more fantastic, he can speak.

"It's Ash. Are you guys alright in there? Noticed Nicolai was white as a sheet when you dragged him down here… what's wrong with him Thomas?" oh, she's asking me… probably thinks Nic is to week to answer right now… and looking at him, I'd almost say she's right. He looks like shit.

"Well, our new cook apparently walked in on Nihlus watching a… Turian romantic movie. Don't ask."

"… Okay. Are you gonna be alright in there Nicolai?" she sounds a little worried. Makes sense; one of the crew has just, for no apparent reason, gone under and started puking.

"Yeah, he just needs some time. We'll be out in a minute" I look at Nicolai; "Won't we?"

"Yeah, I… I think I'm done… I need something to drink" he must have seen my expression, because he quickly adds; "Water, of course. Just, something. I'm thirsty as hell, and I need to blow my nose… 'Think there's some puke stuck up there…"_ okay, think we'll change the conversation here_.

"So, what did you plan on making for the Dextro's tonight?" I am curious; I don't know if he'll end up applauded, or with Johns hand around his throat, while Tali and Garrus are in the med bay.

"Well… haven't really thought that far yet. I still haven't had a chance to get a look at the Dextro books, but I can make the chicken in my sleep."

"Please don't."

"'Was only joking… hand me that cookbook, the one with gibberish written all over it… now, I had Ash show me this while you were still getting your armor on, so take a good look at what I do." While he speaks, he presses some digits on the small box on his arm, and the Omni-tool flares up. He then presses some other digits, something in the menu called visors, then translator. He then starts moving the hand over his face, and a pair of blue… glasses? Emerges out of nowhere. _Must be part of the earplug-thingy._ He then picks up the book, and starts reading out loud! In English, from a book written in turian or something. _Man, and he called __**me**__ a nerd?_

"There, now I can read it." He just states.

"So… what _are_ you gonna make for them today?"

"hmm… nothing special, I'll start out easy. I think this, qy'ed… qu'edda… Qu'eda… Arrhh... just this one."

"Are you gonna make them Al-Qaeda?" I chuckle.

"Yeah yeah, you laugh, but then you try reading this out loud. I'm just gonna make something I can pronounce… here, Sradis root, or what about Xemna? I wonder what's easiest to make."

"Have Garrus help you there, 'because I have even less of an idea than you do Amigo… by the way, what _were _those things you just mentioned?"

"Hmmm… says here that the Sradis root is kind of like a side dish, while the Xemna can be compared to a steak. I think I'll go with the steak anyway. Just better use gloves."

After we finish up in the bathroom and exit, I find Ash going to town on one of the punching-bags. Nicolai looks at me and actually smiles;

"Well, seems to me you've got more important issues than helping me. Go ahead, I'll just catch one of the ensigns and ask him to help me out."

"You're sure?" I glance nervously over my shoulder, and, just my luck, Ash has noticed us, and is headed our way with a… _is that a kick-boxing helmet?_

"Rookie! Get your ass over here a.s.a.p!" Ash's officer voice is back on. _Damn, thought we got rid of that after Eden Prime…_

"Yup! I'm sure. Now have fun. I'll make sure Chakwas is ready for you." _Oh that son of a…_

"Rookie! Here! Now!" _Oh God, please let something happen, Shepards speech, Joker mutinying, anything!_

"Yes Chief! On my way!" and the pain train has left Los Angeles…

The next hour is spent with me being a human punching bag for Ash. It's a sparring match, so we train on a mat. The room is quite big, I'd say about the same size as the shuttle bay in the SR-2… I think. you could never actually go down there, so it's a little hard to compare. There are all sorts of training equipment in here; weights, benches, treadmills and other stuff. And of course, there are the sparring-mats. There are four of them in total, so there's room to spare. Funny though, we're the only ones down here. I regret never having learned any martial arts, because the first time Ash goes for me, she gets me. I try to evade or parry, she just yanks my left leg away from under me, and I'm down.

"1-0" she just states.

"Dammit! Go easy on me in the start chief, I've never done this before!" I already feel a headache rising from the last fall. She extends a hand, which I grab. Then I get an idea. I grab the hand and, before she can pull me up, I place a foot under her chest and lift her into the air. I then let her fall down flat, and start getting up;

"1-1" I state in a similar fashion. Then I see Ash twist he body, as if in pain. I couldn't have hurt her that much… could I? when I approach her and start helping her up, she snatches me, fast as lighting and I'm on the floor again, only this time, she plants a foot on my chest;

"2-1. Good one rookie, but you made one mistake. Care to guess?"

"Ehh… don't fight back?" I ask vaguely.

"Ha! That's a good one, gotta make that a rule. No, you let your guard down. Unless I'm actually bleeding heavily, or my limps are broken, don't let your guard down. Understood?"

"Yes Chief"

"Then come on! Let's see what you've got." Oh now I'm gonna kick your ass. Your pretty little ass will feel my boot very soon.

"Arch!" Or not. I'm on the mat again, sent to the floor by a kick to the chest.

"3-1"

"Fuck! That hurt like hell you psychotic -!" Another kick, right in my behind, interrupts me.

"What's the matter Thomas? 'Can't get up?" _Oh you're gonna get it now!_

"Oh I'm just getting started here!" I retaliate, with as much vigor in my voice as I can muster. _I'm getting beat the crap out of me by a girl. A beautiful girl no less. Doesn't matter that she's a hardass marine, she's still a girl! _I get up, and breathe in. Ash is awaiting my move, jumping lightly on her bare feet. We're both just wearing casual clothes, me wearing my jeans and t-shirt, her wearing… whatever it's called. The dark clothes she wore before. I feel my sore arms, a burning pain in them, from the glide across the mat I made when I took her down. My back and ass hurts like hell from the asskicking earlier.

"That's good. I was afraid you were getting exhausted." _Dammit Ash, give me a break here. If I turn around, I'll be in the mat before I can blink. Gotta stay focused._ I move to the side, my feet crossing each other. I make a faint, but she doesn't move. I then make a move for her legs, a kick. But just before I impact, I jump to the side and grabs around her stomach. She turns this around by lifting me in the air. _Huh… how did she do that?_ And proceeds to smash me down on the mat. _What the Hell! Fuck that hurt! I must have broken some ribs! _

"AAAARRGGG!_ For Fanden I helvedes ild og alverdens dødssynder!"_3

"Oh, sorry Thomas… a little too harsh?" she says while panting hard. _At least I got her pulse up. So I can't be that bad._

"To harsh? You've probably broken at least one of my ribs! Fuck it hurts!"

"Take a breather, I'll check with my tool." She doesn't need to say twice. I just collapse on the mat and try to breathe in without causing too much pain. Ash picks up the small wrist box, and turns on the Omni-tool. She then moves it across my body and gives out a small chuckle;

"4-1. Get up rookie, you haven't broken anything." She then turns of the Omni-tool and grabs my shirt, pulling me to my feet.

"How the hell did you do that last one? How could you even lift me?" I ask, completely baffled by the earlier show of hidden strength.

"It's called martial arts dumbass… and I used to watch a little wrestling when I was a kid. Uncle was one of the best, and he used that on my dad when we had the family dinners."

"Your uncle used to beat up your dad during family dinners?" That's just weird.

"Nah, we had a small gym nearby, they always went there. Dad wanted revenge, and my uncle just played along."

"What does your dad do?" Could he be a soldier as well, or perhaps a boxer? With the moves Ash pulls, I wouldn't be surprised of either.

"He was a soldier, like me. I come from a long line of soldiers. Grandfather was General Williams; Commander of Shanxi. First human commander to surrender to an alien force." She says this with something that sounds like regret. "He was disgraced, and since then my family hasn't been able to get above Serviceman third class. Just like his son, or my dad. None of them ever rose above that bloody line."

"When you say "was"… does that mean…"

"Yeah, he passed away six years ago. Left me and my sisters to take care of ourselves. I was already grown up by then, and I had often taken care of them while he was on tours of duty. Still, it… became another thing entirely when he wasn't there to return from duty anymore."

"Sorry to hear that Ash. If it means anything, I know what it's like to lose your family."

"Yeah, I keep forgetting about that. How long ago was it? A week?"

"More or less, left Earth right after, then arrived on Eden Prime, and you found me."

"I'm kind of amazed at how well you handle it. You're younger than me, but a week after dad's death, I was still smashed up. You… I haven't seen a single tear. How do you cope with that kind of thing?" while we've been talking, Ash has sat down in front of me, arms around knees and facing me. She has a compassionate expression to her, something that warms my heart.

"I… honestly don't know. I haven't given it that much thought. I'm… perhaps I'm afraid that remembering them too much will bring some kind of trauma. It does help though, to have my old friend here. Even though he may be an ass at some points."

"Yeah, he constantly mentions you and me be-"she starts talking with a teasing smile.

"I think I'm good to go. Should we continue?" I don't really feel like talking about that just yet.

"Sure thing. I was just waiting for you to get off your ass anyway." What the? She was intentionally egging me on?

"Okay, THIS time, I'm gonna give you a beating young lady!"

"Oh, I'm so scared!" really, she should be.

I take the same step as earlier, and make a move to grab her again. The, while she must be preparing to counter the grab, I go for the leg. She wasn't prepared for that, and I swoop her off the ground and she lands on the mat with a soft _clask_. I extend my hand to help her up, and only narrowly avoid the kick she send at my side.

"4-2. I'm gaining on you Ash"

Another kick, this time it hits me on the ass.

"Ash! Come on! I thought this was only training! Do you actually _intend_ on permanently damaging my body before the first mission?" I mean, come on. It's great with some competitive spirit, but she's taking it a little far. She cringe and use her momentum to jump up on her own, not needing my help at all. _Man, I'm beginning to feel a little tired here._

"_A little?"_

"_Okay, I'm bombed! But I can't let her win!"_

"_Then you should wa -"_Ash tackles me, sending me to the ground and then proceeds to sit on me and hold me in some sort of deadlock. _"…watch out..."_ the voice finishes. Ash is on top of me in this, literally. I can't escape now, but actually, I don't want to. The way she's sitting on my back, I can really feel her… I mean, I feel close to her right now. I'm just glad she's not on my chest… she might see something embarrassing in the opposite direction of my face. _At least she's panting as well… might mean we're about to sto -_

"Normandy. This is your new captain speaking." Suddenly, Shepard's voice can be heard from all over the room. 'Guess there are lots of speakers in here. "I have been given command of this ship in our hunt to chase down the rouge Spectre Saren Arterius. Captain David Anderson has stepped down and Nihlus and I are now in charge. This began with an attack on a human colony in the Traverse, which was also where I witnessed the death of your former commander Dawson. He was gunned down by the geth following Saren. When we corner the bastard, we will put a bullet in him for every man, woman and child he has caused the death of." John takes a short break, and then continues. "I'm not gonna lie to you; this mission will be long, difficult and most likely bring us pain in ways we've never experienced before. We may lose people, we may all die trying, or we may succeed. It is all up to you. Whether or not you do your jobs with valor and dignity will decide if we all survive this mission or not. Ancestors be with us all. Joker… take us out"

And with that, our hunt begins.

1 The Julekalender - A Danish Christmas Carol about a couple of midgets (Nisser) traveling from America to Denmark to find an old key to a contraption keeping the oldest midget alive.

2 "Det var ligegodt Satans = "Bloody Hell", or just "In the name of the Devil".

It's a Danish term of curse used when surprised.

3 For _fanden I helvedes ild og alverdens dødssynder = A very severe term of curse in Danish. Translates to "In the name of the Devil and all the fires of hell!" Not something you wanna yell for fun._

**Alright guys and girls, that's it for this chapter. You probably though I would let Nihus assume command? No way in Hell that's gonna happen.**_  
_

**Remember to give me your thoughts on how I'm doing. I need the feedbacks in order to improve my story.**

**A/N: On a different note; I'm considering to alter this universe, or the story at least, even more. If canon IS fucked up, why not go all the way? Anyway, leave me your thoughts for whether or not you guys and girls consider it a good idea, or something to trash.**

**See ya.**


	7. Bugs, guns and a bottle of Tequila

**A/N: **

**Alright, so this will be the Therum mission, and my first real attempt at a firefight. The one in the alley with Tali was more of a "Hide-and-pray-you-dont-die" kind of fight.**

**We will be meeting some interresting people here, and yes, Liara will be there. I mean, it wouldn't be Therum without her, would it?**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Therum got far to long, so I had to split it up. **

* * *

_Bugs, guns and a bottle of Tequila_

I'm sitting in the mess hall with Ash and Garrus. For once, he actually didn't go straight for the Mako… that is, I'm assuming we have a Mako. Haven't been down to check yet. Nicolai followed Tali down in engineering. I guess he still hopes he and I were wrong when we guessed that Tali and John are a thing. From what he told me after Ash had beaten the crap out of me, and I found him going through the supplies, he would be okay with it if that were to be the case.

I actually found a fridge in the kitchen, or whatever you want to call it. It is funny though, I don't recall any kitchen in the game… then again, there wasn't more than three floors in the game, I think. There wasn't any training room, that's for sure. The whole place, by closer inspection, is actually a lot bigger than in the game. As far as I remember, there were about fifteen meters from wall to wall in the game, but here… it's a lot bigger, let me tell you that. I could race someone from one side to the other, and it would take more than five seconds for one of us to reach the other side… that is of course, if it isn't Wrex… man, I would never challenge that guy to anything. If I did, then best case scenario is me loosing. If I won… I think he would be pissed. And if there's one thing I don't want, other than a Reaper on my ass, it's a pissed of Wrex in the same room as me. Seriously, I don't for a second doubt that he would hesitate to rip me in half or eat me if I insulted him. Anyway, Garrus is nursing what looks like a cup of coffee, but I haven't seen any coffee machines around here. Ash is just leaning back in her chair, taking in the environment. Not like there is a lot to take in, but I guess I was a little awed at first too. I mean, come on! It's the goddamn Normandy here!

"Garrus… can I have some of that?" I point at the big canister beside him, guessing that it contains coffee.

"Sure, if you don't mind throwing it all up and spending the next two days in the med bay." Ehh… say what?

"Eehhhrrr Garrus… are you threatening me?" I mean, come on. What did I do to him? He even said thank you for smacking Chellick. And I thought it was clear that I wasn't a racist, I mean, why else would he even sit at the same table as me… other than the fact that it's the only table in here I mean.

"What? Oh crap no… this is Dextro-coffee… best case scenario; It passes right through you. Worst case… you die. Simple as that."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, would be great if everyone were Dextro, but noooo… Universe loves diversity…" wait, that sounded familiar… just can't place it. Never mind.

"So, you're saying that the reason for Nic to make both Dextro and Amino food… is because it would kill each part to eat the others?" Apparently, I'm not the Mass Effect nerd I thought I was… I mean, this is something I ought to have remembered… right?

"Man… I could kill for some tea though… Ash, you know if they've got any aboard?"

"Don't know, never drink the stuff. Or, I just never got hooked up on it." Great. I can already tell I'm in for a great night… whenever that is. There is no tea onboard…

"Super…"

"Something wrong?" Garrus turns towards me, sipping on a cute white mug with a smiley on. _heh, that should almost belong to Nic, since he chose that for armor… wonder if they have one with a Christmas-theme on it._

"Naah, or well yeah, but it's no big deal. Or… well, I'm kinda what you would call "addicted" to tea. Can't sleep proper without it. Never could." This earns me a slight chuckle from Garrus.

"What?"

"So the knight in shining armor, savior of Chiefs and Quarians… can't sleep without tea?" oh f. you Garrus.

"Hey, just to straighten things out; Yes, I might have saved Ash, but I was blasted to hell and back again doing so. And no, I only helped saving Tali during the operation, I was unarmed and practically blind doing most of the combat in the alley. So can it, will ya?"

"Operation? What operation?" He suddenly stares at me… didn't Tali tell them she had been shot?

"The one where I helped Dr. Michelle pull a fucking bullet out of Tali…" Garrus looks at me for a moment, his mandibles shaking a bit.

"I thought she just overstated the whole thing… was she actually on an operating table… and you played doc… saving her?"

"What's so hard to believe with that?" Is he taking me for a moron or something? Always loved Garrus in the game, but if he turned out to be a racist or something real-life… that would suck.

"Nothing... it's just that… well, in my time in C-Sec, I've seen a lot of cases of Human-Quarian racism… guess it just takes some getting used to the thought that not all humans are like that...that some of you are descent people…" He looked like he was actually… surprised, I guess?

"Hell Garrus, you think we would serve under Shepard if we were racists?… besides, I've heard there are a lot more cases of Turian/Quarian racism. I don't know about the rest of Earth, but where I come from… Quarians are a highly respected race. Hell, I think every other young man down there dreams of marrying one of Tali's caliber." And that wasn't entirely far from the truth... Hell, look at Nic. He had romanced her nearly every damned time he played the game. And, I admit without being ashamed of it… I romanced her a few times myself. I mean, how could you not absolutely fall in love with her on the spot. Those nervous fingers, that shyness? Damn, I think everyone back home had a bit of a Talimancer in him… or sometimes her, I guess … a wise man once said: "one does not simply play Mass Effect, and not have a crush on Tali"… I think his name was Toegoff or something… can't remember though. It all seems so long ago. Even though I've only been here for, like a week or so. Not even that, three days, in a woken state that is. I don't think a coma counts as being here… but, I can't keep thinking about something I'll never see again. It won't do any F'in good. I look up, and notice that Ash has begun staring at me. I'm about to ask her what the problem is, when I look down and realize that my fists are pressed together so hard that my knuckles are turning white. I quickly release them, along with the air I hadn't realized I was keeping in. _Man, keep going like this, and I'll be a wreck. Even before we find Liara._ A thought then hits me; Why haven't John told us that were going after Liara yet? I mean, she would seem the obvious choice, since we still need her for the team. Just glad I'm not the one with the visions.

"_And why is that?" _oh, the voice is back. He _has_ been surprisingly quiet for the entire time we've been on the Normandy.

"_Could you imagine her melding with me? The consequences that would come of that?"_

"_Are you talking about a possibly jealous Ash… or the fact that she would most likely discover my presence?"_

"_Take a guess…"_

"_I'd say that the whole "discover your secret" thing would be the main cause of worry here."_

_And we have a winner." _I think sarcastically.

"Thomas, are you quite alright?" I get some worried looks from the two at my side.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. 'Just need some tea. My nerves are still pretty torn up, I guess."

"After that small firefight in the wards? That wasn't a big deal." Garrus starts ranting. _Not really what I meant._

"Vakarian, I think he meant he misses his family…" Ashley starts cutting in.

"Ahh… feeling a little homesick, are we? Reminds me of my first tour of duty. My dad was on a mission in C-Sec, and my mother had been injured by some bandits… caught the fuckers soon after and mum got better."

"Not really what I meant soldier-boy. Thomas lost his entire family not a week ago." That kind of seemed to change his mood.

"Spirits… sorry kid, wasn't my intention to cause any bad memories…. What happened?" I guess he didn't mean anything by it, he couldn't have known. Might as well give the same story… even though I don't love lying to my new… family, I guess.

"Train accident. Some fucker didn't stop when he was supposed to. No choice but to continue straight forward, then the train just came in… ended it all, no chance to get away." I said, a bit of the sadness apparently hearable, because he seems to be affected by it. Fuck it. I'm not out to make him feel sad for me. Especially when I am actually lying to him. In a way. He asked what happened, and I told him. He just thinks I was talking about my family, when I was referring to what happened to me.

"I… I'm sorry, if it means anything." Garrus is actually somewhat sad. Damn, never saw him like this before…

"Don't think about it. Just… don't bring it up again, okay?"

"Sure kid, I mean Thomas." Then there is an awkward pause, then Garrus looks around him, and the back to me;

"Now. I do actually believe I saw a some Amino-coffee somewhere around here. Let's go have a look.

"Find some for me as well Rook." Ash says, then leans back again. Garrus gives a small chuckle as he gets up. I follow him, and when he stops at the kitchen, he looks at me;

"Rook"? Is that what she calls you?" I swear, it looks like he's smiling. But turians are damned hard to read. I mean, they have no lips. They have those mandibles, but that's it. I don't even know if those eye-brow thingies can actually mo- scratch that, he just made the turian version of narrowing his eyes, then raising his brows again. Okay, so they _can_ move.

"Yeah, it's… well, I met her when she was my Drill Sergeant on Eden Prime, and well, the name just stuck." I can't help but give him a faint smile. He suddenly changes his posture, and his mandibles come far apart;

"Oh… so it's that kind of "soldier-likeness" you two follow?" what is he… does he know?

"What exactly are you saying Vakarian?"

"Come on kid, I'm not _that_ stupid… or blind for that matter…"

"I still don't follow…"

"Spirits… you like her for your Gods' sake." At this, I almost trip over myself, standing still. How the… _but, if he knows, if it's that obvious… can she see it too?_

"This conversation is-"

"Ahh, there we go. 'Told ya I found some coffee somewhere down here." While he cuts me off, he fishes a small box of what I can guess is pulverized coffee beans. Okay, guess he's forgiven.

"Thanks Garrus. I might need this." He then hands me the box, and five minutes later, Ash and me are nursing our own cups of coffee. I try a sip… and regret it; while this might taste better than the coffee at my old High school… it still tastes like horsepiss. Better add some su-… another thing we need to get our hands on, is some friggin' sugar! I can't believe they buy coffee, but not a gram of sugar. Who gets our supplies? Oh… yeah, Nic does that, I think. I've got to have a little chat with him later. Though, Ash doesn't seem to mind the coffee;

"Ash, how can you drink this stuff?"

"Ha… Thomas, when you've been a marine as long as I have, you drink the coffee even if it tastes like mud. The caffeine in this shot may save your life when you need to act fast."

"Guess that's right…" I take another sip. "Doesn't mean I like it now…" I have to get my hands on some tea… Roiboss preferably.

"Well, next time we dock, I'll-"

"Ground team to conference room. Ground team to conference room." Jokers voice sounds over the speakers… _oh well, guess we're going to get Liara now… or at least I hope so._ We get up, and I signal Garrus and Ash to go ahead, I have to get some water and wash out the taste of this crap.

"Ahh, that's better…" I remove my head from the sink, and I'm about to head for the elevator, when someone grabs a hold of my uniform. I turn around, but no one's there…_ what the?_ I turn around again, but the same: nothing. _Okay, who or what the fuck is messing with me?_

"_Well, don't look at me, I didn't do anything…" _Well thanks voice, that's really a great help.

"Eehhhrrr…. Ash… is that you?" Okay, this is borderline creepy. I'm all alone down here, not even the usual crew talking or walking around.

"Ash? This isn't fu-"then, a hand comes over my mouth, but when I grasp for it, it disappears again.

"Whoever this is… this is not funny!" No response. Just the subtle sound of someone or something moving around.

"I can hear you! I know you're in here!" I try to sound angry, but I'm actually pretty spooked right now. Then, the sound of feet moving again, and I've had enough. The sound is coming from the area around the table, so I lunge for it, arms widespread and flailing. When I reach the table, I hear the sound of something landing on it. It's faint, but I can hear someone breathe. I then climb on the table and wave my hands around. All I catch is air. _Dammit, who or what the hell is playing with me?_

Then someone pokes my back, and I fall off the table in shock. _Awww… fuck! I'm gonna kick his ass when I find the bastard_!I get up, and look around. Suddenly, the coffee cups in the sink starts to levitate, and dance around… _Ahh… now I know who's messing with me._

"Alright Kaidan, come out and say sorry! I know it's you, biotics to make tuff fly. Veeery mature!" no response, but I know he must be within sight. He has to see what he's manipulating. I start scouring the room, but I can't find the bastard anywhere. _So… if it isn't Kaidan… then what the fuck is going on?_

"Hello? Come on out… please?" I am actually borderline scared now. This is not what I was looking forward to: A haunted Normandy. I can deal with Geth or turians, but ghosts? _Hell no!_ Then I hear a… don't know if I should call it creepy or childish laughter, but laughter it is. _I've heard this before… but where? It's… I know it's someone in… is it the second game?_

"Hello? Come on… I have had eno-"before I can even finish my sentence, a form flickers to life in front of me. At first, I don't really believe what I see. _Christ, I didn't know my eyesight was that bad…_ then, I have a damn near heart-attack: in front of me, leaning against the table, is the little Japanese thief from Mass Effect 2.

"What the Hell?! Kasumi! What the F**k was that for?!" Screw the fact that I shouldn't even know of her existence yet, I want answers. She actually looks slightly… surprised. I've never seen that on her before.

"How did you know who I am?!" She crosses her arms, and stares at me. _Must be pissed that she's more know than she wants if a simple marine can recognize her. Well, then she shouldn't have startled me like that._

"Call it a qualified guess… now; what the heck was that for?"

"Well, I gave you the chance to be honest with me, but I guess I can't really expect that from someone I scared shitless" Then she starts smiling; "Should have seen your own face when you thought it was someone named Kaidan. Actually, you can. I recorded it and sent it to your tool right now."

"What the… How di- what do you mean by "honest" I haven't lied to you, have I?"

"No, but I asked you how you knew who I was, and you said "a guess". I don't think so, so why don't you tell me, how you knew who I was? Or should I ask Mr. Inner conscience?" _What… the…shit? How does she know?_

"_With the danger of repeating myself; don't look at me."_

"_Well, someone must have told her, and you're the only bloody one who knows about… well, you."_

Kasumi cocks her head, and frowns;

"Really Thomas, one doesn't have to be a genius to figure out why you're not talking. Shouldn't you tell me the whole story now, Mr. "I've got a spirit in my hea-"she doesn't get to say anymore, as my hand flies to her mouth?

"Keep it quiet for the love of God! Someone could bloody hear you!"

"Okay, but get those hands of my mouth!" I realize I've been squeezing her mouth together in a pout;

"Sorry… but just how the Hell did you know?" this is bad. She might be the best thief in the galaxy, but if she found out, others might do so as well.

"Well, about a month ago, I was going on about my business, when suddenly this young man in a suite approached me. Mind you, I was in a vault, with high-tech security, and I only got past the cameras because of my cloaking. So I was surprised, to say the least. Then, he hands me this data pad, and just disappears back the hallway. When I go after him, he's just gone… then, I look at the data pad, and it says all this strange stuff about the multi-verse-theory and someone important who's soon to end up at the Normandy. Then there's a picture of that guy…"

"Me?"

"Yeah, just you know shorter hair and a smooth face."

"So… what then?"

"Well, then I get this big sum of money, and when I say big, I mean really big. Like enormous sum of money, and this strange program in my Omni-tool. It's a code like I've never seen before; even I couldn't crack it. And apparently, I'm supposed to help you out when you need new equipment. Simple as that."

"But… we can buy it ourselves. I doubt there's any reason to go steal from shopkeepers on the Citadel."

"I'm not talking about stuff from the Citadel. This code I'm supposed to use can cross the borders between the dimensions… if you believe that stuff." _Holy shit! Wait this guy… I wonder…_ I turn on my own Omni-tool, and start searching the net. Ash taught me after she kicked my ass. She _was_ very surprised to find that I had no idea of how to do anything but check the time, send a message, and calling people. I just said that my family had always been very old-fashioned, and stuck with cell phones and laptops. She apparently bought it, because she gave me the whole tour, meaning I had to sit on my sore ass for fifteen minutes while she used my tool to browse the extra-net. Speaking of which, I open up Google (yes, it still exists) and type in "Casey Hudson". I then go to pictures, and show Kasumi the guy. She almost jumps.

"Yeah, that's the guy. But how could you just find him like that? I've been looking for him using his description for a month, and you just dig him up?" she looks really interested now. _Oh fuck… how am I supposed to tell her that he's the guy who made her? I might as well give a "Kasumi… He is your father" kind of joke… hell, this is not funny… ehh… how the hell do I explain this?_

"_Tell her he's a universal guardian…"_

"_Well, then I wouldn't have been able to find him on bloody Google, would I?"_

"_Sorry, sorry…"_

"Ehh…. Kasumi… this may be a bit of a shock… sit down…" she does as I say, but she doesn't look very happy about it.

"Alright, what is it?"

"…. Crap! I don't really know how to say this… this is… not my universe…" Kasumi looks like I slapped her with a hammer.

"What… are you saying that… I don't even know what to ask…"

"I am not from this dimension, or this universe. I come from planet Earth, and the guy you met, Hudson… he created this universe…" I think I would laugh at her expression, were it not a deep-shit moment. Kasumi's knees starts to give away under her, and she ends up sitting on the floor.

"What the hell do you mean, "Created this universe"? Am I just the figment of some crazy bastard's fantasy?!" Christ, she… her lips are bopping in the same way that bureaucrat's lips did. This just isn't funny in the least.

"No! Or, I don't know. That he can be here… it must mean that… I don't know, okay?! I'm just as messed up in this as you are!"

"But… but if he created this… he can't have created this… this galaxy is billions of years old… he didn't look like he was past forty!"

"_**Perhaps there is another explanation?"**_ by hearing the voice, Kasumi's head jolt up again;

"And what should that be? That he's a time-traveler as well?" _Actually… as crazy as that sounds… that may be the answer… I mean, when you think about it… what sounds most impossible; sent into a game, or sent into another dimension? But… wait a sec…;_

"Kasumi… you can hear him too?" This is… unexpected. And is probably gonna bite me in the ass later.

"You mean the creepy voice that came out of your head?" _guess that's an answer._

"So… I have an idea… it may sound crazy, but I think there actually IS another explanation; look, if I traveled through the dimensions, and he did as well… and gave you a code that allows you to do the same… could he have made the game based on his experiences here?"

"What game?" _Oh shit! I told her that it's a game…_

"Well…. In my old dimension… this whole place, the place that Hudson visited… is a videogame."

"Oh…" she is very quiet now. She just looks down between her crossed legs.

"Shit, Kasumi… listen, it's a game in my old dimension, because he made it on experience, okay? This place IS real. He just made a game from it, like someone writes a diary." I step over to the small Japanese girl, and extend a hand. She looks at it, and then hesitantly takes it. I pull her up, and support her. She has just been told that some random guy knows everything there is to know about her and everyone else in this universe. Hell, I would be smashed up, were it me who just had that bomb dropped in my face.

"Okay… just… call me, if you need anything… okay?"

"Okay. And Kasumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep an eye on Keji. And keep away from a guy named Hock." She just stops dead in her tracks towards the elevator.

"What… are… you talking about?" _Can I do this and not totally fuck up canon in a way that would make the Quarian Shepard look like a normal thing? To hell with it, I saw her. How devastated she was in the game… might as well…_

"Listen… I don't even know if I can say this without creating some kind of space-time paradox, but…"

"Out with it! If you know something's going to happen to Keji, say it!" Okay, she really sounds worked up now… guess I can't blame her.

"Well, the Intel you and Keji got on something the Alliance did, something bad… Donovan Hock will kill Keji to get it from his graybox…" She looks at me, much like Bhatia looked at us when we said his wife was free. Completely dumbstruck. Then she gets what I think is a faint smile;

"Thank you Thomas." And she's gone. _Christ that was weird… I just pray I didn't fuck something up. Wait, "call me"… did I even get her number?_ I quickly check my contacts on the tool. _Yup, there she is… I think. "Ramengirl" does sound like her._ Wasn't there something I should…? Oh crap! I am supposed to be in the conference room right now. Oh I bet they are all pissed at me.

I jump into the elevator…_ why doesn't this thing have 1. Floor as a option?_ I could have smacked myself there. The SR-1 doesn't use an elevator to the first floor: They've got the stairs. I turn and race up the staircase, almost tumbling into another marine on his way down. When I get to the conference room, I practically barge in… not the smartest thing, but I wasn't really thinking.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would show up, Private Fisher" Nihlus says. He is standing over by the screen with John. The rest of the team is all seated on chairs along the walls.

"Sorry, sorry… I got sick… after the coffee. I just need to get used to it, is all."

"Uh huh… sit down, will you?" Nihlus points at a chair next to Nicolai. It's also the outermost chair, towards the door.

"Sure, yes sir." I think the last time I was this embarrassed from being late… was back in elementary school. It was…

"_Just listen to the Turian, will you?"_

"_Okay, sorry…"_

"As I said, we have confirmed the location of the daughter of Matriarch Benezia. She is on this planet, Therum. As far as we know, she doesn't have any connection with her mother's alliance with Saren, but that is exactly why we are here. To find out. She is supposed to be here on an excavation, but she hasn't been heard from in days, so we suspect that something is wrong. Reports show that geth scouting forces has been landing there for the past 24 hours, so we assume that either they are here to retrieve Liara T'soni, or they are here to kill her."

"That's crazy! Benezia wouldn't stand for the geth threatening her daughter." Tali says. And yes, I can quite defend that argument. It just seems wrong that Benezia would be aware of this and do nothing… though, if she is indoctrinated, she wouldn't care.

"Maybe she doesn't know?" Nic says. _Yeah, gotta remember that you are also allowed to voice your own thoughts._

"Perhaps… if Benezia is under the impression that the geth are there to help her daughter, she wouldn't worry, or she would believe it when Saren tells her he was too late, and the Alliance killed her daughter."

"Yes… that could be it… however; we need to check this out ourselves. Garrus, Ashley: Prep the Mako. We're going in. I want the ground team to be Tali, Thomas, Ashley and Garrus. The rest of you, dismissed." John says, and turns towards the big screen showing of what I'm guessing is Therum. _Rest and rest, that only leaves out Wrex, Kaidan and Nicolai… if you don't count in Nihlus that is…_ Nicolai leans towards me after John is finished, and the rest have filed out;

"What took you so long?"

"Dude, you wouldn't believe what happened down there…" I whisper.

"What?"

"Can't tell you here. Wait till we get back, and I'll give you a story that will fuck up your brain." He doesn't look particularly happy after hearing that, but I can't tell him that Kasumi just showed up and that the guy who made Mass Effect, did it on experience, not fantasy. Not here.

"Okay… just be careful down there, okay?"

"Hell, just an army of geth, what could go wrong?"

_Why the hell did I say that?_

The Mako is one tight tin can. It looked so much bigger from the outside, but from the inside… sharing a cap with Wrex would leave you more space. There is a gunner's nest, for whoever controls the main cannon and the coaxial machinegun. Then there is seating for about five people, gunners nest and drivers seats included. There are two seats up from, one for the driver, and one for a spotter. I guess the spotter is for the gun, as much as for the road. John climbs in and takes the wheel, with Tali seated right next to him. I can't help but smile when I see him giver her shoulder a tight squeeze. _Ahh, young love._

Garrus takes the gunner's seat, not that big of a surprise, which leaves me and Ash to sit in the back. Oh well, guess there are worse places to be seated. When everyone's inside, Joker gives the all-clear from the bridge, and an alarm starts blaring its music all over the place. The tank is lit in a red light and we hear Jokers voice;

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, prepare for drop." Wait… did he say drop? I can feel all the hair on my neck stand. _Oh crap, and I'm afraid of heights!_

John puts a foot to the pedal, and the Mako whines forward. Suddenly, I feel like I don't weigh anything anymore.

"We thank you for flying with Alliance airlines, first ones in, last ones out" Joker just won't shut up. I look around at the others, and see Ash's having about the same facial expression as I do. My arms starts going up on their own accord, and my coffee is about to follow it.

"Holy Shiiiit!" I can't help it. One of my phobias have always been to die in a plane crash… and now I'm being dropped out a Frigging plane, with Gods' know how much distance between us and the ground. I know the Mako has that jump-thing, but this is not what I expected. And then, the landing:

"Brace!" I hear John shout from the driver's seat.

"Oh Fuck!" Garrus Yell. Well, he's in an even worse position than me. While I'm strapped in, he's floating on his chair, no seatbelts to keep him down. I'm glad I'm not his ass in-

_**Bump!**_

And, were down. Christ, I don't wanna do that ever again. Well, at least the rumors about the Mako can't be true…. Can they?

"_What rumors?"_

"_The fact that it droves like someone with a percentage over 100%?" _

"_Oh… those rumors… well, as he said; Brace!"_

"_Oh shit!"_

"Hold on back there, I just need to learn how to maneuver this thing. It's really sensitive!" Not really what I want to hear right now.

"Shepard, please! Stop the Mako!" Garrus yell from his place.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Stop the B'eske tank!" And with those words, Garrus is thrown towards the floor as John hits the brakes. When he gets back up, Garrus kicks out the doors, and rushes outside.

"Garrus, what are-"my question is cut off by the sound of Turian breakfast coming out to say hello._ And I thought I had it bad…_ when Garrus has wiped his mouth, he climbs back inside. Man, if Turians can look pale, he is now. But, it's nothing, I fear, against what we're gonna experience now. I look at Ash, and she just shrugs. Well, glad someone's not scared by the prospect of being thrown around. Speaking of which, John just started the engines again, and Ash and I have already strapped ourselves in. this is gonna be a wild ride.

"Geth Drop ship! Coming in hot!" Tali suddenly yells.

"Garrus, get on the gun!" Garrus just nods and weakly climbs back in his nest.

"Ten o'clock! Ten o'clock!"

"Armatures! Two of them!"

"Take them out!"

"Incoming! John, evade, evade!" Tali shouts. _Fuuuuuck….. This is bad!_

"Shields on 78%!"

"The main gun's overheated!"

"Use the machinegun, that's what you've got it for!"

"Against one of those? Are you insane?!"

"Just do it for Keelah's sake!"

All the while the three of them are shouting, I'm praying. I'm not normally very religious, but when two giant robots are shooting laser at you… you start to hope someone's keeping an eye on you.

"One down!"

"Shields at 50%!"

"Keep it steady for heaven's sake John! I can't aim when you're driving like that!"

Now Ash is praying too. Damn if we get killed on the first mission. A projectile must have hit home, because the whole tank just takes a horizontal spin. Thank God for the safety harnesses.

"Garrus! Are you even hitting anything back there?!" John's voice is slightly frantic. Hell, if I was the driver of this piece of crap, I would be frantic too.

"Shut up and keep the bloody tank steady! I've almost got it!" where after he fires the main gun again.

"Scratched one!" he yells triumphantly. _Finally!_

"Alright, good work Vakarian, Tali! Now let's keep this thing moving."

We continue along the lakes of molten lava, twice driving through a proper tunnel, and then back out into the arms of waiting geth troops. Now, this is where I've got to commend John; instead of evading the geth, he runs them over.

"For Rannoch you synthetic bastards!" he screams at the top of his lungs._ Well, everyone needs a hobby. If John's hobby is to play Motorstorm on the geth, then why the heck not?_

After having run over several geth too stupid to get the hell out of dodge, we end up at a wall of boulders. Rather than having us get out and on foot, John does something that makes me wanna follow in Garrus' shoes… talon feet… you know what I mean.

"Okay, looks like we have to get out and proceed on foot" Garrus says, eyeing the large wall, and the small hole, just big enough for two people a time to proceed through. John then turns in his seat, and gives a small chuckle;

"What's the matter Vakarian?"

"Well, I don't think we have the firepower to take down that wall. And you better not think we can ram it!" He looks a little nervous, mandibles moving quickly from wide to close to his mouth.

"Who said anything about _destroying _that wall? I've got a better idea!"

"Spirits… you're not-"and that's all Garrus get's to say before the inside of the tank is pressed down with four times the normal gravity. John made us airborne… again.

"Oh come on! I've already thrown up at least three times the last twenty-four hours John! And I HATE this flying-and-falling shit!"

"Well then it's a good thing we get food when we get back! Wouldn't want ya to keep on going on an empty belly, now would we?" Gods I hate that guy's humor.

"John! If I throw up again, I'm gonna aim at you!" Garrus yells over the noise of the Mako's thrusters coming to life.

"Good to know Garrus! I'll remember to do-"

_**Bump! Crash!**_

"Fuck! That was worse than last time, and we were dropped from the fucking _Normandy!"_ Ashley halfway shouts at John.

"Yeah well none of you guys volunteered to drive this thing!" John replies. Man, let's just get this over with! There can't be anything _worse_ than geth armatures out here… right?

"Geth! Fourteen o'clock! Keelah, they are big!" What does she mean "big"? Geth Primes?

"What kind? What do they look like?" I yell.

"Looks like Destroyers to me." Garrus remarks from the gun nest. _Great… fucking great… I think… Destroyers, were they in ME2? _I have no idea just what they look like, but Tali said big, and Garrus said destroyers, so I'm guessing they are just big geth. Then, the entire tank rock as something strikes the left side;

"Jesus! What was that?"

"Plasma cannons! The Destroyers are packing a punch!" John replies, before making a 90* turn and ram into one of them. The mechanical screams of the machine as it's being crushed under the tank, echoes through the vehicle;

"John… you _do_ know that we've got a S'kak _gun_ on this thing… right?" Garrus says from the nest.

"What's wrong Garrus? Can't keep up with me?" Is it just me… or IS John really enjoying this mess of chaos and destruction?

"John, he's got a point! You end up smashing the Mako against something too solid for the tank to handle… then we're screwed!" Ashley plays the role of educator in the fine arts of smashing things with a tank.

After we've cleared a small valley of geth, we drive on uphill. While passing the start of a more civilized area, hereby meaning a lot of scrap and halfway completed buildings, I get the feeling that we might actually get to Liara without too much trouble…

_**Clank!**_

"What in the name of the Ancestors was that?!" Tali shouts. Something just landed on the roof of the tank, and it wasn't a shell. Garrus looks through the optics in the tower.

"Spirits… some kind of weird geth, jumping like a lizard just flew off the tank… it almost moved… organic." _Oh crap… regular geth are bad enough… flying or jumping geth… well fuck you too universe!_

"Did it start cutting open the hull?" Tali asks.

"No… just… stared… right at me. Man, those flashlights can be scary." Does Garrus actually sound scared?

"You don't say" I remark. I have to remain cool, or I might end up a wreck. Suddenly, the whine of a plasma ball the size of a yoga-ball passes right over the tank.

"Kazuat! Armature right ahead!" John shouts.

Another ball impacts right next to the Mako, sending the vehicle on a barrel roll through the air;

"Fuuuuuu-!" I don't even get to finish the monosyllable-word, before we crash into the side of the hill. I look around me, finding Garrus unconscious on the floor. _Oh crap!_ John turns from the driver's seat;

"_Cough_… Thomas! Get on Garrus' position! We need that, _Cough_, turret laying down fire, or we're screwed!"

"Copy that!" Okay, no time to think here. I open the safety harness, and stumble towards the gunners' seat. _Man… maybe it __**is**__ a good thing that I haven't eaten anything yet!_ I climb into the seat, and take in my surroundings: the turret doesn't have any windows. Instead, it relies on vid-feed from exterior cameras. Two of those are currently messed up, so my vision is decreased by forty percent. I have a joystick in front of me; two handles and a small button on each. It doesn't say which the main gun is and which the machinegun is. _Guess I'll find out._ I have two bars on my screens; both are currently empty, so I'm guessing those are to show how close the guns are to overheating… at least that's one good thing. Okay… I jolt the joysticks, and find that the turret is very sensitive towards the movement. I can see the Armature closing in; its four weird legs waddling towards us. I bring the main gun's crosshairs towards the center of the hulking construct. _Chew on this you mechanical piece of crap._ I press down the left button, and the tank rocks from the recoil of a 7.87mm piece of tungsten coated in titanium, being accelerated to the speed of sound. _Man! That was one Hell of a bang!_ The construct stumbled, and for a second, I thought it would go down with a bang. But instead, it just shook it off, and started charging the main gun again._ Dammit! Okay, try this one!_ And I let loose a full barrage of the machinegun, allowing the rounds to spray all over the damned machine, whittling away it's shields.

"_Kill it with bug-bites, eh?"_

"_Yeah, remind me to thank Kal'Regar if we ever meet him."_

"_Will do."_

Then, after having poured an amount of fire at the geth, sufficient to overheat the machinegun, I let loose with the main gun. After another two bangs with the cannon, the blasted things shields _finally_ give up, and I direct every damn round I've got towards it. All the while I'm letting Hell rain down on the geth, John is driving around, squashing anything to slow or dumb to move out of the way.

"Yeah! Mow 'em down!" I shout. Hell, with this technique, we should be able to clear up any geth in the area. Kind of funny, actually: A race of synthetic beings, capable of driving the Quarians from Rannoch, cannot even comprehend moving of the way when a tank comes crashing towards it… just strange. After about five minutes of going to town on the geth, the area is finally silent. We drive up to what looks like a tunnel, going underground.

"_It's… strange…"_ Man, I hate it when he says that. Every time he says that, something freaky is about to happen.

"_What is?" _

"_I felt… something before, when we jumped from the ship, I felt something equal to when you discovered your friend…"_

"_Wait… are you saying that someone else might have "jumped" from universe to universe?"_

"_Possibly. Didn't Miss Goto say that she could do that?" _

"_So… you think she actually used… whatever she received from… what was his name again?"_

"_Casey Hudson, creator of this universe. At least, as far as we know."_

"_So… you think she did?"_

"_I can't tell… only that this time; it is not simply one person, but much more."_

"_What like an army?"_

"_As I said, I can't tell… but there is something terrible in that tunnel… something that chills me to the very core of my being."_ Wait, "chills him"? He can be scared?

"_Don't tell me you are afraid of geth… on further thought, please; tell me you are afraid of geth."_

"_Afraid not… something terrible is awaiting you in that tunnel."_

"_I really hate it when you makes me nervous like that…"_

"_Sorry…"_

The large entrance to the tunnel bores down in front of us. It almost looks like a tube with a door. Some kind of black material covers the side of the door. I have seen this before… just can't remember where…

"Alright, we go in, kill anything in our way, get Liara T'soni and get the hell out. Sounds acceptable to you guys?"

"Yeah. Lead the way Shepard." Tali then moves to a console at the round door, and presses some digits. The sound of steam being released, and multiple gears springing to life at least tells me that this place still has power. _Good. Whatever is down there, I don't want it to sneak up on me in the dark…_

"Just stay on your toes down here." I say, stepping a foot into the steep tunnel. This place was no wider than I could almost reach across one side to the other. It's lit only by the occasional lamp, with intervals on ten-or-so meters. As far as I can see, it stretches down about a hundred meters.

"There is something wrong with this place…" Garrus says next to me. Apparently, Turians have some kind of sixth sense.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Shouldn't there at least be geth attacking us by now?" Ash says, as we exit the tunnel, and find ourselves walking on massive blocks of stone, lifted hundreds of meters above the ground. Garrus stops, and grabs John's shoulder;

"Hey Shepard… that fluid in geth, is that acidic?"

"No, just a mix of cooling fluid and some vital oils for keeping their gears working… why?"

"Because, then I think there might be something else than geth down here…" Why is Garrus saying that? Oh, he's pointing at….._OH CRAP NO! _I follow Garrus' talon, and it leads me to a spot on the stone where some kind of green substance has eroded through the solid rock. I then notice more of the black substance covering the walls, like some kind of web or covering...

"Guys… we need to-"I wanna get the Hell out of here, but my speech is cut off by the sound of automatic gunfire. It doesn't sound like geth-rifles…

"Someone's still alive down there!" Ashley shouts.

"Well then, what the fuck are we waiting for?" _Why did I say that? I really, reallyreally really hope I'm wrong here._

"You coming Vakarian?" I could almost swear it sounds like they have some kind of competition going on here.

"A firefight? Are you kidding, I'm right behind you!" We proceed down the slopes of massive rock, finding ourselves on a metal catwalk. Then, the first screams start to sound from the bottom of the shaft… hole, the place. It isn't human screaming, but it mixes with humans shouting, guns firing and the sound of rounds pinging off of the rock. Those screams… the black stuff on the walls… the acid on the floor… Please God! Let me be wrong for once! _This isn't going to-_

"Keelah! What is that?!" Tali almost screams, as a thing, a creature out of a nightmare suddenly lands on the catwalk only ten meters away. The long eyeless head shifts on its shoulders, making it seem like the creature is taking in its surroundings. Its long tail, fastened on a black, strong and agile body, swings through the air, almost like it's trying to catch something with it. Then, it lifts its head towards us, hissing and barring its teeth. Then, it slowly opens its mouth, allowing a secondary mouth to emerge from the inner of its head.

_This… this shouldn't be possible!_

"_This must be what I felt before… by Myself, this is bad!_

"_Are you fucking kidding me!? Are you telling me that the thing in front of me is an actual…"_

"_Yes… it's…"_

A Xenomorph…

"I have never seen such a thing before in my life… Spirits, it's ugly!" Garrus says, his mandible slowly twitching.

"Shoot it! Kill the fucker!" I manage to scream. Now, I'm close to pissing my pants. The others are just looking at me. They must be wondering why I'm so hostile towards a creature we've only just met. Garrus and Ash starts leveling their weapons towards the creature, which I still can't bring myself to call by its true name. Not out loud. It's starting to run towards us, actually moving on two legs, like a human. No one's firing yet.

"Fuck it!" I shout, and yank out my own rifle. _Why_ _the hell didn't I do this at the very start?_

"Thomas… are you sure we should kill a completely new spe-"Tali starts asking. Her voice is cut off by my assault rifle being emptied towards the animal in front of us, now only three meters away. The rounds hit home, half of them penetrating the creatures hide, unleashing sprinkles of green acid from every hole made. It stops dead in its tracks, only two meters away, and squirms and cringes in agony. The acid from the wounds starts seeping through the metal in the catwalk. _Oh shit! From one problem to another!_

"Get back!" Garrus shouts, and frankly, he doesn't have to tell me. I think we can all see what's about to happen. When that acid eats through the catwalk, there's a good chance the entire thing comes crashing down. We quickly retreat back to the start of the catwalk, Ash and Tali obviously shocked with my display of violence towards, to their knowledge, what might just have been a new species wanting to greet us.

"Thomas… what the fuck was that?" Ash finally gets out. _Oh crap… this could end up with my secret being spilled much earlier than I wanted to…_ Then, the rest of them turns towards me as well. Okay… so, they have figured out that I must know just what it was… how the bloody Hell do I escape this one? _Think…think! I need Nic here; he's the "Aliens" nerd… That's it!_

"Wait a sec…" I call up Nicolai on the Omni-tool.

"Yeah, you've called the Tengberg residence, what might your order be?" his voice sounds like he's actually been laughing. Never mind that;

"Nic, we've encountered… a really WTF down here."

"Hmm… what kind of WTF? Zombie Elcor? Now that-"

"No! And I'm not in the bloody mood for jokes right now!

"Alright, alright…then what?" he asks, his voice becoming more suspense.

"Xeno…morphs…" Nic suddenly stops breathing through the tool, and he becomes very quiet.

"Not funny amigo… not funny…" What the… He thinks I'm joking!

"I'm fucking serious! I've just killed one of those ugly fuckers down here! Its blood ate through a _fucking_ catwalk of solid steel!"

"Mother of… you're serious?"

"Yes! Now, I need you to send me a pic, and everything you can find on the ugly sons-of-bitches… can you do that?" Then I whisper to him "and leave out everything even remotely related to R. Scott."

"Alright… just give me a sec…." I hear some rumbling and shuffling in the background, followed by a "Kaidan, where's the laptop?" some seconds pass…

"Found it… transferring it to you now." And as he speaks, my tool pings with the message that I've got mail. I open it, and find the option that says "Holo". The entire message then flares up in a hovering screen. In the center, is a picture of a Xenomorph.

"Xenomorph" Ash reads out loud "Are you telling me those things are REAL!?" I turn towards her.

"Considering we've just killed one, yes. They are real."

"But… they are just an old movie! Christ! Thomas, they shouldn't even exist!"

"I am bloody well aware of that, okay?!"

"Sorry, sorry…"

"Don't… sorry for shouting, but I'm really freaked out right now."

"Ehh, for those of us who don't know what a "Xenomorph" is… could you clarify?" Garrus' voice makes me turn and see him, Tali and John stare at the picture.

"Okay… I have no idea how these creatures are here, but if you heard what Ash and I just said, then yes; these creatures are supposed to only exist in a movie called "Aliens". It's an old movie, can probably be found on the extranet… point is… these fuckers are deadly to the extent of ridiculousness. They have fangs, claws, a harpoon-like tail and can climb on the ceilings. As if that wasn't enough, they have bloody _acid_ for blood, and some of them even _spit_ acid. They will kill everything they see, no discriminations, men, women children. They see, they kill." The sound of gunfire is still emitting from below us. _We have to get down there, soon._

"So let me get this straight" Garrus steps up to the screen. "We are facing a creature with no fear, no remorse, and blood so deadly that you almost don't dare kill it, fangs and a lot of other nasty stuff…" He just stops himself. "This could make Wrex piss himself." He then says. _ Yeah, that's about right…_

"In short… yes. The worst is though. Where there is one, there's always ten more…"

"Spirits…"

"Well, we still have to get to T'soni, even if we have to blast our way through these animals…" John says.

"John… these are not just dumb animals like the warren… they are _smart_! They are as smart as you and me. If we underestimate them… we're dead."

"They still die if we shoot them."

"That's… true, but I don't like this; engaging the deadliest race in the universe, not knowing what the hell happened that brought them here."

"Your opinion has been noted, Thomas. Now let's get down there: there are still people shooting down there, meaning someone's alive to tell us just what happened here."

"Alright Shepard… lead the way." I gaze at the sight in front of us, beyond the catwalk that's still standing, minus the hole in the middle, the corpse of the Xenomorph slowly slides through the hole, landing on the bottom of the cave with a _splat._ We walk over the now creaking bridge of metal, single file, with ten meters between each. 'Not having someone fall to their deaths because of overweight on the catwalk, no thank you.

"So… Thomas, how did you instantly know what the creature was?" Ash asks me when she is finally over. _Oh, Turd on a dinner plate!_ I don't think I'll be able to get out of that one… but…. maybe that isn't such a catastrophe…. Just not here;

"Ash… if we both make it out of here alive… I'll tell you everything. But right now, we have to focus on doing what John says, and save Liara T'soni, along with whoever's down there. Alright?" She gives me a stare that makes me think she suspects me of having planted the Aliens here in the first place, but then she gives me a faint smile, and nods;

"Alright Thomas, but you are starting to come off a little weird here, you know that?" I try to give her a smile, but it just ends up in a weak chuckle;

"Yeah… I have been getting that a lot lately."

"From me…right…sorry…" She steps around me, and stands at the edge of the catwalk, looking down at a large number of rooms, all sealed by some kind of blue force field. There is still shouting and shooting downstairs, but the number of voices has decreased… _Either they are winning this… or they are dying right below us! I wonder if we can contact whoever is down there…_

"_And you didn't think about that until now?"_

"_Well you weren't the biggest help back there! You're supposed to be my memory, why didn't it trigger when I saw the black stuff on the wall?"_

"_It was not enough to prove the existence of these creatures! Just as you would have been able to remember hundreds of things from seeing a ball fall down an empty staircase, I could remember lots of scenarios that matched this…"_

"_So…. You know, you constantly come off as more and more flawed…?"_

"_Don't push it… I'm still beyond your definition of divine being!"_

Sheeesh…

"Yeah, but it's okay…" I give Ash the best smile I can, but considering the fact that I'm scared shitless at the fact that Xenomorphs are in the house… cavern… I think it's a pretty bad smile. I then turn to John;

"Shepard… can't we contact those people down there, tell them help is coming?" he stops dead in his tracks, and I swear, it looks like he could facepalm right here and now.

"Det Kazuat!… why didn't I think of that before?" he then turns the Omni-tool on, and presses some… things, on it;

"This is Commander John'Shepard vas Normandy nar Rayya. Anyone down there, respond!"

At first, all we get is static and radio silence, then some interfering is heard, and the sound of a woman breathing heavily is heard through the coms;

"This is corporal Tequila of the USCM! The bugs have us surrounded, and we are only two left! My other soldier is unconscious, and she isn't responding to any attempts the blue woman… Asari, makes to get her on her feet. We need help!"

"Copy that, E.T.A two minutes, hang tight!" John then turns towards us."Come on! We have to get down there, NOW!" _wait… why does that name strike me as fami- oh mother of… how much of the Aliens Universe got in here?!_

"_Corporal Tequila, the last surviving colonial marine? What happened to "Rookie" you think?"_ the voice asks me.

"_Don't know"_ we keep running and reach another elevator. John hammers the console and the ancient machine creaks and springs to life. _"But she said "her" about the other marine, so something's wrong."_

"_We are in Mass Effect, fighting alongside a Quarian Shepard, killing Aliens from a second game… what is wrong about that?"_ I hate his sense of sarcasm.

"Shit! More of them!" Ash suddenly shouts, and slap my face, more of those ugly bugs starts crawling out of the walls.

"Contact! Kill them!" Garrus yells, raising his own assault rifle and letting loose a burst that rips through the closest monster. It falls from the wall, passing them in a distance of three meters. I raise my own rifle, and through the iron sight, I zero in on one of the Xenomorphs. Five rounds later, the creature follows its friend towards the bottom of the cave. When I looked up again, five more had taken its place.

"Jesus, they keep coming!" I shout, then overheating my rifle towards the two closest. The spray of acid that follows takes an extra bug with them. A salvo from Garrus' rifle and Tali's shotgun then rips apart the three last ones. A loud hiss then makes me turn on the spot. One of the ugly bugs has climbed aboard, and is wrestling with Garrus. And the Turian is losing…

"Vakarian! Get back!" John shouts, and as Garrus breaks free and jumps back to the far side of the elevator, John fires up his biotics and sends the fucker smashing into the wall. He then lifts it out again, and seeing as the alien is still alive, he repeatedly smashes it towards the wall before finally tossing it to Hell and back.

"That was a little too close for my tastes!" Garrus remarks. _How can he not be in a state of absolute panic right now? He was damn near kissed!_

Suddenly, the elevator stops, and we get out. We can still hear Tequila cutting down the bugs somewhere in the cave, but I can't see her.

"Alright, we're groundside! Go for the gunfire!" _Well, that's always a plan…_

If there were a lot of aliens up there, there is twice the amount down here. I end up overheating my rifle multiple times, each time having to switch to my sidearm. And in this case, that wimpy little pistol doesn't make me feel a lot safer. Still, it beats fist fighting with the Xenos…

"John, how the hell are we supposed to get out of here again?!"

"Don't ask me! You humans know these creatures! Don't they have some kind of weakness?"

"Yeah, but I don't think any of us are carrying flamethrowers!"

"Fire! They are afraid of fire!?" He shouts, all the while smashing the Xenomorphs with his biotics.

"YES! But I don't have my fucking matches on me right now!"

"Leave that part to me!" he shouts back, and then he activates his Omni-tool and points an arm towards the bugs;

"Burn you Bosh'tets!" he yells while unleashing what I can only recognize as a ball of fire shooting out from his palm. _What the? He can do that?_ Upon receiving the fiery ball of death, the bugs withdraw, seemingly scared. But if I learned one thing about the Xenomorphs when I watched the movies, and played the game… it is that these things… they don't know fear. The sound of hissing from hundreds of mouths, along with the screams from those hit by lead and fire, mixes and almost overpower my helmets audio receivers. _Godammit! I swear, if I ever get the chance, I'll sue Ridley Scott for this! I'll sue him for house and everything, then I'll burn every single Alien-movie ever made!_

"_Concentrate on not getting your ass killed, okay?!"_

"_I bloody well know that! No need to swear!"_

"_Sorry, I get… agitated… and I'll be out of business if you die of anything but illness or age. So watch YOUR ASS!"_

"_Jesu- Fuck_!_"_ Another one is heading for me. "_Well then you ugly fucker, have some slugs!"_ I pump out the heat sink in my pistol, nailing the bug to the floor in a pool of its own acid. I look around to see how the others are doing;

Ash is holding her own, constantly firing off burst from her Lancer. The ground in front of her is literally strewn with dead aliens. She constantly takes one step back, to keep her distance to the, to her probably, most scary and monstrous things she has ever encountered. She is close enough to me that I can see her breathing heavily, her face sparkling with pearls of sweat. Her eyes narrow and without fear. Her aim always true, the bugs actually seems to be avoiding her as she cuts them down in a solid stream.

Tali is more scared than me, or at least I think so, given what I know about her character. She is, like Ash, constantly taking a step back with every blast she unleashes from her shotgun. The ground in front of her is, like with Ash and me, also littered with corpses. The difference is that the area around her is being lit up by her drone. Chittikka is really helping her out, electrocuting and disorientating the screaming and hissing streams of blackness and horror. Every time she sends out a blast, at least two of the monsters are flung back, their innards showering over their screaming fellow species.

Garrus is having a bit more trouble, being used to engage with long distance weaponry as he is. He is giving them a taste on Turian Hell though, as he is constantly shifting fire left and right, cutting down anything coming too close for comfort. I swear, even through the chaos of screaming, I can hear him yell things like "Scratched one!" or "One less to worry about!" Even though, in the last sentence, I am unsure how one more or less makes a difference here.

"Come on you Bosh'tets! I'll squash you through the floor!" John is not even touching his gun. Instead, he's flaring blue like some ancient human-lore demon or god, flinging force fields left and right. He sends a wave of biotic energy into the mass of black and hissing bodies, making it look like a wave of black water just appeared. He then sends another wave of energy towards them, smashing more than ten bugs towards the floor, acid splashing over their fellow ugly friends. That's one good thing about their exoskeletons; they pop like water balloons when you smash them right.

I turn on my comm., contacting John;

"John, give me the corporals frequency, I need to know where the hell she is!"

"I'm a little busy at the moment! Don't know if you noticed the ocean of monsters laid out before us like a frekkin' black Realk!"

"Just give me the frequency! With all the bugs we face, she must have been relieved and can help us!"

"Alright, give me.." He then creates a large wave of energy, sending at least fifty bugs flying through the air. "A second... Alright, you're patched in! Just do something fast, I'm not sure how many of those I've got left in me!" with the wave of energy released, there is a short break in the onslaught, and I get my rifle back up. I then tap my head-phone-thingy. Hopefully, this works like in the game;

"Corporal! Are you still there!?"

Nothing

"Come on Tequila for fucks sake, we can't keep this up! Where are you!?"_ Shit, don't be dead! That would really suck!_

More static

"Corporal! Get the fuck on -"

"This is Tequila, you can stop your shouting, I read you perfectly -urhhg!" the sound of repeated pistol fire comes out of the earplug, followed by the scream of one of the bugs dying. "…Fine. The horde has really thinned out here, and about time. I'm down to a pistol, and the blue woman has fainted… I swear, she did something creepy with her hands before, lifted a group of the bugs into the air like a fucking Jedi or something! I've never seen something like that before, and I've seen my fair share of crazy shit! My drop ship gets shot down in the Jungle, and I end up in this hellhole!"

"Corporal, we are practically swimming in bugs here! Can you do any-fucking-thing to give us a hand here!?"

"Nope, sorry! But if you can get to me, there is a staircase leading out of here! I tried the elevator at first, but it wouldn't come down, and then the bugs started swarming in!"

"Okay! Can you -Shit!" One of the bugs just made a jump for it, and was few inches from my face before John catches it and lifts it back. I overheat the heat sink on it, where after he throws he back towards the crowd.

"What? Didn't catch that last one!" she shouts into my comm.

"I said, can you give us some way to know just where in the name of the Devil you are?!"

"I can fire a flare, but that will make the rest of them swarm towards me again, and I've only got one pistol, and two downed girls that I won't leave behind!"

"Alright, fire the flare! We'll get to you!" I end the conversation, and move towards John, all the time firing everything I've got into the masses of black and twitching bodies. _This is something out of a nightmare!_ I activate my comm. again, and speak to John;

"John, the corporal is down to her pistol, her other member, whom I guess is T'soni, has fainted after pulling off some biotic shit, and the other human is still down! She is going to activate a flare to guide us to her position, and then we can get up a ladder at her place, and get the FUCK out of here!"

"Sounds good, when will she-"He's cut short by the hissing of a flare rising above us. It's red light illuminates the entire place, and the bugs seems to slow down upon seeing it. Then, they continue. I can actually see that a lot of the bodies aren't moving, but I can't tell just how much of the black mass is actually still trying to kill us. John turns towards me again, and then opens the channel with the rest of the squad;

"Alright, listen: We are going to get the hell out of here, but these things aren't just gonna let us go. So when I say "Now" we all fling a grenade at the fuckers. That should at least confuse them for as long as it takes us to get the Hell out of here! Now, we've got two unconscious persons at the site, so one of you will have to carry T'soni while I grab the other one. Got it?"

"Got it!" we all shout as one. _Wow, we might actually survive this shit in the end!_

"Roger that Commander, I'll take the other one!" Garrus states through the comm.

"NOW!" and with that, we all draw one of our three grenades, and fling them towards the front and center of the masses. As soon as the ball of death is thrown, we turn tail and run towards the point where the flare was launched from. Suddenly, one of the fucking bugs jumps Tali, but before it can get a grip, John lifts it into the air and raises his gun towards it. He just never gets to fire the thing.

A series of bullets sounds from a place close by, and the blasted bug is torn to shreds by seven shells penetrating it's outer skeleton. Having made sure no one was hit by the acidic shower, we turn to face a woman in heavy metal armor, her face dirty with what looks like a mix of blood, sweat and dirt. Her brown hair is falling down around her face, partially hiding it. Her armor is really old-fashioned, but still high-tech. it looks like it's a hell of a lot heavier than what even Garrus is carrying. Her boots are practically corroded around the edges, and the metal shows sign of scratches everywhere on the armor. She blows some hair away from the face, before giving us, and more specifically the E.T's among us an extra look;

"So, you the rescue team? Figured there were more of you, you know, because of how may bugs you drained away from me. But hell, I can't complain… even if some of you look really weird. Here she looks specifically at Garrus. He looks like he's gonna say something, a remark or something, but he keeps quiet. _Good…last thing we need is those two arguing…_

Tequila then turns towards me;

"So, you the Commander Shepard who's here to save our asses?" I cough, and look, I guess, at her in a funny way… I think.

"Hell no corporal, I'm just a Rookie." The word "Rookie" seems to hit her hard. _I wonder what happened to that bald black-skinned badass._

"The commander is that guy." I say, gesturing towards John with my right hand.

"The fuck? Oh fuck me sideways, this day is getting weirder by the second… but I don't give a shit if President Eisenhower strolled over and announced himself Commander Shepard, we need to get out of here, and get those two with us!" She then points towards two figures on the ground; one of them an Asari wearing formal clothes that you would expect of a scientist. The other is not another colonial marine. It's, from what I can see, a woman in an N7-armorsuit. _What would the odds be that?... nonono, that would be way too fucked up, even for this place._

"Alright! Corporal, lead the way!" John sighs as he hefts the unconscious N7-soldier on his shoulders. Garrus then grabs Liara, and we head after Tequila who's already moved towards a ladder on the wall. It appears to go all the way up. When Garrus is two meters up on the ladder, I'm last man down here. I grab the ladder, but suddenly I hear a hissing right behind me. I don't even think, I just kick out behind me, my feet impacting on a solid but still destroyable surface. It instantly gives away, and I sprint up the ladder, not even looking behind me until I'm ten meters up. When I look down again, the area we were just in has been filled with bugs, a lot of them starting to climb up tha ladder after us. _Okay… time to pull a badass move… okay, okay, okay! Pull yourself together for fucks sake, you can do this!_

I stick me left arm through the ladder, keeping a firm grip. Then I empty the heat sink in the heads of the two closest fuckers, effectively forcing the rest of them down with a rain of acid. _Step two…_ putting back the gun, I reach for both my remaining grenades. I put one in the left hand, using my elbow to keep me on the ladder, then priming the first one and dropping it down the ladder. I instantly repeat with the other grenade, and hurry upwards again. I am not looking forward to being in the blast radius of a combination of acid and explosives.

The blast practically lifts me a few steps, almost making me bump into Garrus' behind. I can hear the screaming and hissing retract, as the blast must have smashed away the lower ten meters or so of the ladder. _Will probably only take them some seconds to move up anyway_.

"Garrus, get a fucking move on, I don't enjoy this spot of "the ass of the 4'th dimension"! Okay?"

"Have you got any idea, how hard it is to climb while making sure that an Asari is not slipping down your back?" he heaves and breathes heavily. _Guess not, but still…_

"Alright, but I would like this mission over as soon as possible!"

"You and me both mate! No homo."

"Wait, what?!"

"Never mind, I'm almost up. Just a little more and… S'kak! Thomaaaas! She's slipping! Do something!"

"Like what, hold up her ass?"

"If it works!" _oh you've gotta be kidding me!_

So, I complete the first mission on the Normandy, holding up Liara's blue butt. _Super_.

Finally, we're all up again. And… wait, from what I've heard, there should be some kind of seismic activity here, and then a-

"Stop! Hand over the Asari and surrender! Or not, that would be more fun." Okay, so no earthquake, but the Krogan is still here. _Great_.

"How about you fuck off space-turtle!" Tequila shouts before emptying her pistol in the Krogan's face, the bullets bouncing off of his barrier. His geth bodyguards move up towards us, weapons leveled.

"Ha, ha! The humans still use gunpowder weapons! This isn't even a fair fight!" He then pulls out a shotgun that makes Tali's xeno-blaster look like my wimpy pistol.

"Perhaps, but _this_ _Quarian_ can take you without weapons at ALL!" John shouts. He has put down the N7, and then lifts the entire group of hostiles into the air, slamming them towards the ceiling before throwing them down the hole. The krogan's screams is briefly heard before disappearing again. _Guess the bugs found something new to chew on…_

"Come on, we have to get the fuck out, and then seal off the entrance. We can't allow these things to get outside; or we face a fucking infestation of the planet!" Tequila yells. We then run up the tube, which I guess is hard in Garrus and John's case; they are running for two. When we finally reach the exit and get out, Ash and I go back to seal the entrance. I give the tunnel a final look, and I'm not really as surprised as I'm horrified to find that the bugs are already at the base of the tunnel, crawling upwards.

"Shit! Ash they are coming this way!" she then looks at me with an evil grin, and moves to my side of the entrance, the side we haven't sealed yet;

"Well then, let's give them something to chew on!" _Oh shit, she's not gonna push me down the tunnel, is she?_ In a fraction of a second, I actually expect her to do so, but then I realize just how stupid that sounds. Besides, she is currently holding one of her grenades in hand, armed and deadly;

"Dinner's on me guys!" She says, letting the small object roll down the tube. Then, we seal it completely. The explosion causes the seal to shake a bit, just a tiny bit as the shockwaves hits it. The thing is sturdy as hell though, so they shouldn't be able to claw their way out of that one. Ash turns at me, panting heavily;

"Next time Rookie… (Pant)… tell us _before _going guns-and-roses… (pant)… all over the place, okay?" I'm practically bent over, holding my knees to prevent myself from collapsing.

"Sure thing… (Pant)…Chief… I'm just… glad, no one died."

* * *

**And I bet you are too. Now, how many of you guys guessed it would be her from the title alone? Be honest here :) And how many guessed it after the first encounter with the black stuff?**

**Anyway, how did you think this turned out? Brilliant, good or Horse-ass? Leave a review where you tell me if and how I screwed this up. **

**Until next time guys (and girls) **


	8. Keeper of my heart

**Alright. Some major... things in this story, and we will get a reveal; "What happened to Rookie?"**

**Enjoy, it will be some time before I post again, as school starts again tomorrow.**

* * *

**Keeper of my heart**

"Sure thing…(pant)…Chief… I'm just… glad, no one died." I get up, straightening out. I then notice Tequila waiting at the bottom of the ramp, leading to the entrance. I nod to Ash, and we walk down the ramp. Man, still can't believe _she_ is here… Nic is gonna have field day with this. I can already imagine him eyeing her the second she steps aboard the Normandy, then practically jumping her with questions and propositions, what she did when, and what he thinks she should have done instead, what happened to Rookie and…_ wait a second… where IS Rookie? I didn't see him down there, and he survived the game, along with that android lady, right?_ In the background, John and Garrus has set down the two women, and John is speaking into his Omni-tool. 'Guess he's telling Joker to come pick us up. I can't wait to get the hell off this rock. Tequila looks at us, her face a mess. Now, in proper light, it looks even worse. She has more scars in her face, than I think Wrex has got on his entire body. Must have been hell down there, and she was in the thick of it long before we came along. _How the hell did she survive down there?_

"Corporal Tequila, you alright?" the corporal drops down on a rock on the slope as we approach her. You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to figure out she's shaken;

"Well, you people pulled my ass out of the fire, along with the girls over there. We didn't die like… another marine somewhere out there, but we would have been slaughtered if you hadn't shown up..." She sighs and looks down at her feet, her socks visible through the holes in her boots, then she looks back up again;

"But… all of this, the blue lady, the weird alien with the head-spikes and a gun, the two weird people you are with, the commander included… I don't know what the fuck to make of all that…" I sigh and breathe in;

"So… what happened to Rookie? You know, the other marine who used to be with you?" She looks a lot like Kasumi did when she found out about the whole "dimension-thing".

"How the… who are… how did you know about him?"

"Yeah Thomas, I would like to know too… you really seem to know some things that just doesn't add up. The way you reacted to the Xeno is one thing, but now what's all this about a Rookie? I don't remember him… or Tequila from any of the movies, and I watched them re-mastered with Sarah and Lynn… why do I get the feeling you know this woman?" _Oh shit… do I tell her now?_

"_I guess it's come to either that, or have her being suspicious towards you until you do tell her…."_

"_So… I'm practically dead, right?"_

"_Well… you might get off with some shattered knee-calf's…"_

"_This __**really**__ isn't the time to make a fucking joke!"_

"_Then listen to this; you tell her now, or I start singing "Daisy Bell" from your mouth."_

"_Crap!"_

"Uh… this is…. Not really the best situation for discussing these things… can we go a little away from the others? You too Ash?" She gives me a look… I'm not sure how to describe it. It's a look of utter confusion, perhaps mixed with a bit of… fear? No, never from her… anxiousness? That might be it… Well, considering what I'm about to say… I really should be the anxious one here. Nevertheless, she follows Tequila and me as we move around the slope, hiding us from view and hearing from Garrus, Tali and John. I sit down on the hill, taking off my helmet and letting my fingers run through my hair. _Damn… this is much too soon…_ Ash and Tequila sits down in front of me, Ash to the left and with a look of concern in her eyes. _Do I really look that nervous?_

"Okay, okay…. Okay… okay….okay….. Ok-" _This is bad, I wanted this to be my choice, when I told her, I should hold all the cards…_

"Thomas, will you stop ranting like that? You sound like some kid about to tell his parents he's been expelled from school." Ash cuts me off, and I probably would have continued like that for some time.

"Okay… Okay… Ash, you remember when you found me?"

"Yeah, you were lying under the monorails, dressed in really old-fashioned clothes… those you still use when not in uniform. Your breath stank of alcohol, and you had drunk enough to down an elephant, if the blood analysis were to be trusted…"

"Was there… anything else from the analysis? My age for example?" She gets a very odd look on her face here.

"Yeah… the machines couldn't determine your age… how did you know that?"

"Well… My guess as to why the machines couldn't figure out my age… is… well… Oh for fucks sake! I'm… not from this universe, I'm from another dimension where this, all of this… is just a videogame! There, I said it! I've wanted to tell you ever since I saw you and heard your voice in the med-bay on the Normandy. It's been eating me up from the inside, keeping this a secret to you! And I wanted to tell you, really wanted, but this all just happened so much earlier than I wanted it too, and now… well, now…you know…" I just look down between my feet while uttering those last two words. My whole world, my very existence in this dimension… is now most likely being ripped away from me. The woman I… I love, will either think I'm crazy, that I'm a lying bastard or she will believe me and lose it.

"You… You what?" Ash's voice comes from my left, full of confusion and fear. Yeah, now… it is fear.

"I am from another world… one where all this is just a videogame, where Garrus and Tali, Chakwas and Joker, even you… are just… pixels… on a screen." Ash has stopped breathing, the sound of her feet dragging against the dirt echoes in my head.

"I… I don't believe you… You're insane! I should have known, you and Nicolai always seemed so weird when you were around, always acting like you knew something I didn't. You are both… insane…

"No! I'm telling you the fucking truth Ash! I've tried coming up with ideas of how to tell you, a silent place on the Citadel, the Mess hall when no one else were around… but this… I never prepared for this…

"Are you… you're serious? You're not actually insane? B-but you have to be… you have… to…be…"

"I'm sorry Ash, I wanted to tell you before, to make it easier to stick with you and Shepard, but then…"

"Then what?!" She almost shouts.

"I… I…. got to know you, as a human being, as a good friend… I started to… like you… I know you must want to put a bullet in my head or nail me to the floor, but… I…I…I"

"You what?! Finally thought that it could be cool to know what you did, and still just keep quiet about it?!"

"No! I didn't know any of this would happen! I thought we would just go in and get Liara, then kill some geth and run out followed by an Earthquake…"

"So what about Tequila? What about that other soldier? They just "happened" to be there?" She has stopped shouting, but I can hear something in her voice. Besides the anger she sounds… really scared…

"I don't know! None of this happened the way I thought it would! There shouldn't be any aliens here! I shouldn't be here, and neither should Nicolai! So much has changed, that I don't know what's going to happen anymore… nothing besides the simple things…

"So we are all just pixels to the two of you?! I… am just pixels to you?! This is all just a game to you!?" I finally look up, and I see something I hoped I would never see again… there are tears running down Ashley's cheeks.

"Please… no…. this is…. None of this is a game! Just let me-"

"Then what is it Thomas!? Please tell me, because I'm having some trouble finding sense in any of this shit!"

"I…" I sigh, breathe in deep and out again. _Might as well go all the way…_ "About four hours ago, when Nihlus and John called us to the conference room… I was contacted, so to speak, by a woman; Kasumi Goto. She had been contacted herself by a man named Casey Hudson. He's the man who… created what I used to know as this universe, a game called Mass Effect. But it isn't a game. He had been here before, in the future, and he had made the game based on memory… he traveled from my old dimension to this one, experienced a story, and went back to share it with the rest of his world… you see? This IS real life, it's just a really fucked up event that lead to me and Nic being here…"

"Which is?" Ash has stopped crying, but her eyes still hold the anger and confusion from before. I hate seeing her like this, even if it means I'll get kicked off the Normandy, or she leaves me here… I just want her to stop being so… sad.

"_**I think I'll be better suited to answer that question miss Williams." **__Holy shit! _

"_What the fuck are you doing!?" _

"_You will not be able to fully convince her without my help. So be quiet!"_ I look at Ash; The woman's features has turned to something close to stone, her eyes wide with fear and surprise. Her mouth then starts moving, at first no words escape;

"Wha- wha… what- what THE FUCK WAS THAT!?" She almost falls backwards, her arms seeking support but fails, and she ends up lying on her back. Tequila just sits there like she's frozen in place, her eyes just as wide as Ashley's.

"_**I am Thomas's guiding hand, his conscience so to speak, and he is telling you the truth!"**_

"What… what… how?"

"_**There is something you must understand miss Williams; Thomas only partly choose this himself. He was sent from his own dimension following in the wake of an accident that left him dead. He then had a choice; He could go to what you know as Heaven, or Paradise. He chose not to. **_

_**He could have chosen to return to his own world. This, however, would have left him horribly crippled for the remainder of his days. And in that time, being crippled is not something that could be cured.**_

_**The third choice was to be reborn, if you will, in another world. Another dimension, as you call it. He chose this option. I left him on Eden Prime, under the very rails that you found him by. His new body sustained severe injuries during this change in time and space, and he was hurt in ways hard to cure in his own time. But here… he stood a chance. That is how he ended up here, but not why."**_ Ash seems to have regained her speech during this. My head is being used as a speaker, somehow he speaks from my head, and I can do nothing about it.

"What about the whole "This is a game" thing? What the hell is up with that?!" Ash sneers at the voice.

"_**In the world from where Thomas comes, a man named Casey Hudson worked on and created a virtual source of entertainment; a videogame, as you call it. He must have been able to travel between the dimensions without my knowing, as I did not assist him in this! This world, as Thomas mentioned earlier, is therefore not fake, but simply located in another universe!"**_

"Why didn't you tell us before!?" Ash directs this question to me, as much as to the voice currently emitting from my head.

"_**I hear all thoughts that Thomas creates, excluding those about you, miss Williams. These he has ordered me to avoid. The reasons he has not told you, was because he feared the reaction you just exposed him to. That you would reject him and break his heart…"**_

"You REALLY didn't have to say that…" I mutter through my teeth. Not only is my secret out, but the voice just fucking spilled my love to Ashley… _Dammit!_

"Break… his… your heart?" Ash stutters. Suddenly, the anger and fear in her voice is gone, replaced by what sounds like sadness and a little regret.

"Yeah… well, I… well, from the moment you stood above me on Eden Prime, smiling even though I must have smelled of puke, from the time we spend together, touring the colony… I… well, I guess you could say that… I kinda… fell for you Ash… I just couldn't help it."

"_**So miss Williams… You have heard his secrets, and his feelings towards you. What will you do now? His fate on the Normandy, and the sanity of his mind… depends on what you do now."**_

Ash looks deep in thought for a moment, her brows furrowed, and her mouth small. She then looks up again, and the faintest hint of a smile can be seen on her face._ YES! She must have accepted it!_

"I… I guess all this is kinda hard to just accept… but considering you just spilled your heart to me, while I shouted at you… crap, Thomas, I… don't really know what to say. I mean, these things… they are not what family or the Drill Sergeant makes sure you know… and about the other…thing… where you said you…" she pauses, taking a deep breath."Fell for me… I don't know… I mean, you are one of the nicest guys I've met in years, but… I'm gonna need some time to think about all this. My head really hurts right now, and I can't really make any decisions right here and now… it's not that I don't like you, I do… but to take all of this in… it's really… confusing. You know?" All traces of anger has left her voice. I dare look her in the eyes again, and my gaze is met by hers.

"Thanks Ash… you don't know how much I've feared a different outcome than this… that you would hate me, or even lose your mind if you believed me… thank you…" Her smile widens a bit.

"Hell Rookie, if something you did could drive me insane, I think I would have gone under the first day I met you."

"_**Well seeing as this turned out we- Miss Zorah, you can stop eavesdropping and step out now!"**__ Crap! Tali was listening?! OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT!_ A stumble and a muffled gasp is heard behind one of the stones, and the figure of Tali emerges from behind one of the big rocks. She looks into the ground and comes towards us, her fingers intertwining at the speed of light;

"Sorry… I didn't mean to… I mean, I just followed you to see where you were… Keelah, is it really true?" She lifts her face, and looks at mine.

"Tali! Were you eavesdropping!?" Ash asks, her voice full of surprise more than anger.

"I'm afraid it is… I'm not from around here Tali… and I would have told you eventually. I know you're not the type to spread gossip." I try to make my voice as soft as possible, but she's still on the brink of a nervous and shameful breakdown.

"How do you know… oh right… the Hudson man…" She says, her voice more nervous than ashamed right now.

"Tali… listen to me. I was wrong when I first thought of this universe as a game. I was slowly convinced otherwise when I started feeling things like fear and… and love."

"That voice… did that really come from your head?" Now there is some fear in her voice, 'guess it can't be helped. She _did_ just hear an eternal being use my head as a microphone.

"Yeah, he's been sticking around ever since I got here. Sometimes he's been a real pain in the ass, but he's also helped me out of some situations."

"But… there is still something I don't understand…"

"I would be surprised if you could just take all this in, in an instant… what is it?"

"If you already experienced all of this in a… game… how come you didn't know about Fist's men?" _oh shit… I was hoping she had forgotten that one…_ this is gonna be hard to tell her.

"I… did know about them. I was just so focused on getting you back with John that I almost forgot about them. Ever since you stepped through the door to the clinic, I knew it was you. Admitted, you looked a little different than you will in two years time, but I knew it was you."

"TWO YEARS!? Are you saying you even know what will happen in two years?" Ashley suddenly breaks in.

"Well… if neither me or Nic had been here… and there is one other thing… and this is gonna be hardest for Tali I think…" I gesture a Tali to sit down; "Where I come from, in my dimension. The John Shepard everyone knows, the "Main character of Hudson's story… is human. I don't know what happened when I came into this world, what fabric of reality I distorted… but it made him Quarian instead…" I'm glad for once, that I can't see Tali's face. She must be completely messed up right now. _Why the hell didn't I just stop talking?! The wasn't even necessary for her to hear!_

"Are you saying… what _are_ you saying? That John, my John…. Isn't real?" I can hear her being close to tears, her voice has that subtle sound of crying pressing on. _"Any help here?"_

"_No. This is your mess. You chose to tell her about the Shepard issue, sp you fix it."_

"_Gee, thanks…"_

"_I aim to please."_

"No Tali, of course he's real. It's just that so many things has been changed, I don't know what to expect anymore. John is every bit as real as you and me. He's just a different person than the one I had expected when I woke up in the Normandy's med bay, is all." Tali looks at me again, sighs and rubs her neck;

"Okay…. I still don't understand any of this, but you saved my life, so I trust you Thomas. You and Dr. Michelle were the first humans not to treat me like filth, so I trust you. I just need some time to take all this in… can I… tell John?" Okay, guess I should have expected that… what do I do? If I say no, she'll probably end up feeling bad for not telling him, then she'll tell him, and he'll be pissed at me for not telling him… but if I say yes… He'll probably still have a fit… ohhhh crap, my head hurts like hell.

"Eehhhrrr…. I guess… but can you wait till the two of you are alone, or at least if it's just the three of us? I would really prefer he didn't shout up and down the deck to have me restrained and sent to some kind of dissection… for study, you know…"

"Oh… but John isn't like that at all… he can actually be really calm even through the worst of situations… like when those Cerberus Bosh'tets caught us, he was calm and made sure I got away. He… he's just been through a lot during the past years…" Tali's voice has risen. I guess it comes from defending John. I'm not really surprised, as Nic told me earlier that the two of them were practically bonded before John was taken. Or at least, that's how he understood it. He seemed okay about it though. Like he said before, he wouldn't know how to treat Tali proper anyway. Not that he wouldn't try, but he would quickly have some serious problems with her immune system… I think… Anyway, it probably wouldn't work, so I'm glad he's taking it like a bro. would suck to see him and John fight…

"Then I guess I don't have a problem with it… just don't tell Joker yet. If he's anything like what I remember… he's gonna go crazy about it…"

"Sure, I won't tell anyone else." She actually sounds happy again. Damn, girls and their shifts in emotions… one second, they're on the verge of crying, the next, they are happy again…

"Okay…"_ this is gonna sound stupid…_ "Any other questions?" Tequila immediately gets up, and approaches me. I should have known this would come;

"Yeah, I've got one; Where the _Fuck_ are we?! This is not BG-386, I can tell that much… and what's up with the aliens here, this… girl I guess and the ones over there?" She points over the ridge where John and Garrus are.

"Okay… this is probably gonna be a bit of a bombshell, so sit down… please…" Tequila does as I tell her, and I sigh. _Well, this is gonna be easier than revealing my secret to Ash at least…_

"So… you wonder where you are, how I know about Rookie, and what the deal is with the extraterrestrials… to start with the beginning… what's the last thing you remember from the colony on BG-386?" She frowns, trying to remember I guess.

"One of my marines, "Rookie" as I called him, had just blown a bug-queen to hell, and had escaped from the facility where the queen used to live. Then he contacted me, and I and another marine, pvt. Allers, flew the drop ship, "Typhoon" over the jungle to pick him up. But… there was something in the jungle. It shot us down, even though we leveled half the jungle with rockets. When I came to, Allers were being dragged away by the bugs, this female soldier was firing at them, and the blue lady… Asari, she called herself, I think, was doing that weird Jedi-shit. Then, a rock fell from the floor and knocked the soldier unconscious, and the "Asari" tried reviving her. She's alive, but otherwise she didn't respond… might have a concussion…" she smiles as if she remembers something. "Just like Rookie on his first drop. 'Got hit in the head by a metal gearbox. Then, you guys suddenly contacted us, and my rifle ran out of ammo. The Asari did the Jedi-thing again, then she fainted too. Then, a lot of explosions and you guys came running with the Devil on your asses." That was quite a tale. So that's why we didn't see Rookie down there. He never got transported… poor guy, now he'll never find her again… I think. I don't know if a copy is created when you do the whole "Inter-dimension-travel" thing…

"Okay… so. You are currently on a planet called Therum. You were, for reasons to us unknown, and in ways I have no idea about, jumped from your dimension, to this…"

"Bullshit! I don't buy that crap marine, now tell me where the fuck we are… or at least how much I smoke… listen, if it wasn't for that voice-thing before, I would have shot you for lying to me, but now… please tell me that was bullshit…"

"Afraid not corporal Teresa." She flinches slightly when I say her first name out loud; "You have entered another dimension… you are-" I don't get to finish before she bends over and throw up her lunch in the opposite direction. We give her some time, till she rises, wipes her face with a gauntlet, and faces us again; "You are currently in a universe know as, at least in my dimension, the Mass Effect universe. BG-386 never existed here, and the entire galaxy is one big civilization… Earth has expanded its territories a big deal, and Weyland Yutani never existed… furthermore, there are several alien races in the galaxy, working together. You have already met the Asari, Dr. Liara T'soni. The girl on your right, is a Quarian named Tali'Zorah. Her race is subjugated to a lot of racism, mainly because of the geth/quarian war, and often perceived as thieves, beggars, cowards and other things. And let me state one thing, right now: NONE of those things are true. They are a hardworking, social and honest people. They are also masters of ship travel, as their entire civilization rests on the fact that their ships don't blow up. They lost their home planet to the geth, you see… but enough about that, Tali or John can fill you in later I'm sure. As for the guy with the "head-spikes", his name is Garrus Vakarian. He's a Turian, and that's a race you don't wanna piss of. Their entire society is based on the military, and they declared humanity war about forty or so years ago, I think. When our races were about to go to town on each other, the galactic council stepped in and stopped us. We were then integrates into galactic society, and we get around using large slingshots in space called Mass Effect Relays, or just Relays. Humanity found some ruins on Mars that belonged to an ancient space faring civilization, the Protheans. We found a new material, Element Zero, which essentially defies the laws of physics in the facts that it doesn't hold any protons, and that it can alter the mass of an object when you put power through it… are you following?" She nods slowly, her eyes open wide.

"Alright… we are currently in the year of 2183, and we are hunting a Turian named Saren Arterius. He attacked a colony and killed a lot of humans… so, now we bring him down and kill his ass… sounds fair?"

"Okay… let me just get all this straight… I've jumped from one dimension to another, this place has lots of friendly aliens, we use sci-fi space slingshots to get around, crazy guys called Saren are attacking humanity, and you know all about me… is that correct?"

"Pretty much… and about me knowing about you… better stay seated. The place you come from, the universe with Yutani and Aliens… is a game. And I don't think the creator of that game was a dimension-traveler as well…I… played the game, and finished it…" Why is it that every time I reveal something to women, they look like I smacked them in the head with a brick?

"…. I….. don't really know what to say… I mean, even though this _has_ to be true, it just seems like a lie… I remember every bit of that mission, as clear as I remember being stranded in that fucking cave…"

"I'm sorry… I know it can't be easy to find out about that…"

"So… if you finished the game, let's say you are right, and it _is_ a game…what happened after the _typhoon_ was shot down… considering I wasn't jumped to this place?"

"Well…. You were actually lucky to end up here. If you had remained in the ga- on the planet, the bugs would still have killed the other marine, dragged you away and planted a bug inside you. Then Rookie would come crashing in, after having killed tons of bugs and the guy who shot you down, freeing you and taking you to the Wayland Yutani headquarters nearby, where an android named… fuck, I can't remember, a female android, would try to operate it out of you, but…" This is gonna be a bitch to know…

"But what?! What happened?!" By now, the corporal has gotten to her feet, and is letting bother her hands glide through her brown and dirty hair.

"Well… Wayland stopped it. Cut of power to the surgery machines. Then Rookie placed you in a stasis pod to stop the fucker from erupting, and he went off and killed Weyland's ass. Along with blowing the entire building to Hell. Then you were all placed in sleeping pods, and the android got you aboard Weyland's personal shuttle… beyond that… I don't know." Tequila stands straight, sighs and turns towards Tali;

"So… Tali right? Would you mind showing me this "Normandy" while we let those two work this out?" she has her back to me and Ash, pointing at us with a thumb over her shoulder. I swear, it almost sounds like she smiling. But so quickly after that hellhole? _Jesus! What's up with women in this place?_

"Eh… Sure… come with me then… Tequila?" And the two of them walk off in the direction of the big frigate that's just touched down a few hundred meters from where Garrus and John were talking before. Now, they are looking in our direction. _They are probably interested in hearing about this new marine._ I notice Ash has gotten up as well. She rubs her neck, looking like she has something to say, but doesn't quite know how to say it;

"Ash, listen. About all that's just been said and done… about what the voice or whatever the hell his name is… what he said about… well, how I feel about you… oh crap this is hard for me… I'm really not good at this stuff, but as I said before… before he barged in I guess… I meant it. While Nicolai may have helped, you've been the main reason I haven't cracked yet. Every time I see your smile, every nice word you've said to me… Hell, even the asskicking… just being near you have stopped me from going over the edge… and I understand if you, especially after all this, doesn't feel the same way, or even hate me… but I just wanted you to know that… Hell, might as well just say it; I really like you. Very much. I can't imagine my life here without you in it, whether it's with me or not…" Okay… I just spilled out my heart like a chest turned upside down. She looks a little sad though;

"Thomas… I'm sorry… but I'm with Kaidan, and he's a really nice guy." Something just made my innards freeze, like Jack Frost kicked me in the stomach. I bite down on my lips.

"Yeah… sure. I'm just glad you found someo- why are you smiling like that?" Seriously, she just smashed my heart, now she's smiling?

"You idiot! Can't you tell the difference when someone's joking or not being serious?!" She looks like she's about to laugh, but I'm still just standing here, probably looking like an idiot;

"So… you're not with Kaidan? Then… what-"I don't even get to finish that sentence, as she gives me a quick kiss on the mouth. _Jesus mother of Sci-fi! She kissed me! _I feel my entire body melt, my heart skyrocket through my head, and my legs give away. She kissed me on the mouth… kissed me… Ash kissed me… she kissed me…

Ashley Williams kissed me on the mouth!

She steps away and smiles. The warm smile I've grown to love and cherish more than anything else in my existence.

"I…I…." I manage to utter; "Does that mean that…." She hits me on the shoulder, looking at me in a… playful manner. _What divine suddenly took pity on me there? Mara? God himself? _

"Come on you cross-dimensional idiot, we've got to get back to the ship." I couldn't have been happier right now. Ash accepts me, and she even kissed me!

"You've got it Chief!" when I jog up to her, we pass by Garrus and John, the two having some kind of discussion about who killed more than the other. _Jesus, those two have nothing but destruction in mind. Wonder if they even heard the voice booming off like thunder before._

"Yeah, but running them over doesn't count as killing them. The Mako did all the work." Jesus, they _are_ having the Gimli/Legolas discussion. Never thought I would experience that. Then again, I never thought I would live to see any of this.

"Well then, how about down there? I killed dozens at the time, you killed one at a time. I think I beat you there Vakarian." I look at Garrus, and he looks like he's trying to come up with a good remark, but he just sighs;

"Yeah, well next time, I'll be able to use my Mantis, and _then_ we shall see who the better soldier is." He sounds proud that he found something good. _I just have to;_

"Garrus" I start; "You are talking about being the better soldier with a guy who took down a Thresher Maw from the inside… think you can match that?"

"Well… I…. Why did you have to get involved Thomas, I had him!" Ash must have overheard us, because she's laughing at the whole conversation. _Divines I missed that laughter._

"Ha! Yeah he's got a point there Vakarian, come back to me when you've been inside-out on a Thresher. Then we'll talk badassry." Garrus just shrugs, and we walk as a group towards the Normandy. Only people I don't see are the two unconscious ones, along with Tali and Tequila. _Could be funny if they became friends; I could call them the T's._

"_No… no you couldn't."_

"_Nah, you're right… that would be stupid."_

"Looks like the girls are onboard, should we get the fuck of this planet? I'm not calm until we're in the atmosphere. And we should make sure to check the ventilation shafts."

"What for?" John asks, not stopping his stride.

"Well, those bugs love the ventilation shafts. It's how they get around in facilities and such."

"Oh… I'll have the ships VI run an analysis of the ship, see if there are any non-registered life forms aboard."

"Bueno, now I'm hungry as hell, and I'm sure that goes for the rest of you as well."

"Hell yeah, your friend better be as good as you promised, or else… well, let's see what he's got for us before throwing him in the brig."

"I second that one Shep." Garrus says; "Would be funny to see if he can make Dextro-food, or if he's just handing out tubes. Personally, I've had enough of those." Yeah Garrus, then imagine being John, never eating anything else.

Normandy mess hall: (19:21) ship time

The whole place smell of curry and the mess hall is filled with people waiting for a descent meal. I guess I can't blame them; the last time they had that was when they had a shore leave long enough to visit a restaurant. Nicolai is in his element. In the kitchen, he's home. Made some jokes about that back home on Earth, like "Get back to the kitchen woman!" or "get out of the kitchen, you are not a woman!" I sometimes miss those times, but I guess it's almost better here. I spot Ash, standing by the kitchen table, chatting with Tali and Tequila. She smiles at me. _Who am I kidding, this is better!_ Another crewmember is helping Nic in the kitchen, finishing off the curry chicken, while Nic is messing around with another meal, gloves on his hands, and a small mask over his mouth and nose. Guess that's the Dextroes' meal. He really takes the whole "a bacteria could kill them" thing seriously. 'Guess that's a good thing. If Tali got ill… I don't even want to imagine what John would do to him. And speaking of John, the commander is leaning against the wall next to the kitchen. It looks like he's trying to give Nicolai advises on how to cook. I guess I can understand it. The Turians can eat what he makes, but Tali and John… they need to have their food purified, then blended and put in a tube, or eat in a clean room. 'Must really suck to have a immune system _that_ weak.

With nothing better to do, I sit down at the table. With the large amount of crewmembers, we realized that there simply wasn't enough room at one table, so I asked Kasumi, and Divines know how she did it, to get us a new table. When we got into the mess hall, it just stood there, nailed to the floor and everything. _Jesus, sometimes I wonder if she's even human… she must be getting help from somewhere… or someone. _Now, I just need some bloody tea, and I could be in Heaven and not be as well off as right now. My best friend is the Normandy's cook, about to serve food worth killing for, the woman of my dreams is smiling at me, returning my feelings, and we got a kickass-USCM marine onboard, along with our two new residents. Speaking of which, they are currently both in the med-bay. With nothing better to do, I might as well check in on them. I get up and stride over to where Ash is standing. I give her a quick squeeze on the shoulder, and get another smile in return;

"Hey there Rookie." God, I love that smile. And those brown eyes… I could get lost in them.

"I'm gonna check up on our two hangovers in the med-bay, save me a seat, will you?"

"Sure, have fun starring at sleeping people." She smiles, the same warm smile she gave me after the kiss… Divines… the kiss. I have never been so happy, and yet so confused as when she suddenly kissed me on the mouth. I had opened my heart to her, half expecting a barrel in my face, because of the big revelation. Instead, she kissed me. I still can't get over it. She tricked me at first, telling me about her and Kaidan being a thing. Could that have been to test me? To see if I would be willing to let her go? To see if I would be jealous? Whatever it was for, I guess I passed. She kissed me… I've never been kissed by a girl before, and my mother doesn't count, and suddenly, the most beautiful, kickass, hardcore yet soft woman in both dimensions, falls for me as well… _what are the odds of that?_ _On further thought, I don't wanna know…_ I then leave the gathering, walking towards the med-bay. When I open the door, I'm surprised to find Doctor Chakwas still at work. Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised; she is the ships medic, and responsible for those aboard it. She's kind of like all of us's mother. _God that's a strange thought_. But she really cares for her patients like a mother hen. It's kind of creepy at times, but mostly it's just very sweet. Sometimes, even the most hardened marines aboard need a little "care-time" where a sweet elder lady almost acts like his or her own mother. When I enter the room, Chakwas acknowledge me with a smile and a nod. On the beds in the right side of the med-bay, our two new residents are resting up. Liara is still fast asleep, so I'll let her be. The other soldier really gets my attention. Having removed her armor, Chakwas uncovered a Systems Alliance marine's uniform clothing the soldier. The top of her head is wrapped in gaze, so it's hard to see the hair. Some red does stick out here and there though. I grab a chair and pull it up next to hers. There is something unpleasantly familiar about this N7-soldier, like she forebodes a serious shitstorm. Her face has a small scar, going from the top of the left brow, to the bottom of the same cheek. She wears no makeup… I think. I've never been able to guess it when a girl is using a discreet amount of makeup. 'Never understood the reason for it either. She looks like she's having a bad dream, her eyes constantly moving under the closed eyelids, and her face distorted in what looks like an unpleasant thought or memory. I wonder just who she is, as she seems eerily familiar, but just slips through my mind, just as I'm about to remember her.

"_You've got any idea who she is?" _I decide to ask the voice, seeing as he is supposed to be my memory, he should know.

"_You really don't remember her?"_

"_No, why should-"As_ I'm about to finish, the woman suddenly opens her eyes and her head goes up. She leans on one elbow, using the other hand to rub her eyes. I then notice the green in her eyes. The very sharp and clear green. She looks around her, moaning softly as she massages her temples. I suddenly remember where I've seen her before. _Mother of Shit! It… it can't be! This is impossible, even by this place's standards!_ I close my eyes and pray to see someone else when I open them again. However, by the time I do open them, the same woman is now looking around the room. I have to do something, and bloody fast. I get up, and hurry to where Chakwas is seated. Luckily, she doesn't seem to have discovered the awakened woman yet. _Have to get her out of here before that changes!_

"Ehm… Doctor, why don't you go out and get something to eat. I'll keep an eye on these people in the meantime…"

"Why that's very sweet of you Fisher. I'll do just that. But call for me if something happens, I'll never be more than a few seconds away." and with that she smiles at me and walks out through the door. _Okay, phase one is complete, now to next phase. I just hope I know what the hell I'm doing…_ I activate my Omni-tool and send a message to Ash. I don't want to be in here with a pissed off and confused biotic Spectre;

"Ash, come quickly to the Med-bay. Thomas." I just hope she doesn't misinterpret it. Some guys would take that chance, but I'm not really in the mood for that. A few seconds later, Ash walks through the door to the med-bay. She smiles at me, the same warm smile as before.

"Well Thomas, here I am. What's the hurry?" I just point at the red haired spectre, who has managed to sit up in the bed, her arms supporting her weight.

"We've got a problem." I say.

"Is it something else that's been changed from how it was supposed to be?" I still can't be thankful enough for that she could accept it so fast. That I'm a time-traveler, that is.

"You could say that." I walk over to the woman, now looking at us with strange eyes. It looks like she recognizes Ash, but I get the "Who-the-fuck-are-you?" eyes. The woman then opens her mouth;

"A-Ash? What's going on? Why am I in the med-bay? I had this insane dream that I was trapped back on Therum those months ago, in a cave with ungodly monsters, and a female marine I've like I've never seen before. She started yelling over her comm. speaking with someone with the same name as me, and then everything went black… and who's that?" Finally, she points at me. I can feel my legs getting weak. _The "real" Commander Shepard… wait, I still have to ask the final question;_

"Are you Commander Jane Shepard?" She looks at me like what I said was incredibly stupid.

"Yes… who the fuck did you think I was?" Ash takes a step backwards when hearing this.

"The Lioness of Elysium?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The sole survivor from Akuze?"

"What happened there?"

"That's a no then?"_ crap… that leaves only one option left._

"The butcher of Torfan?" at this, she opens her eyes a little more, recognizing the name.

"Yes… that is… the name they gave me after that mission… I still see them when I sleep. People think I don't regret anything, but I see the Batarian children I killed when I sleep. The piles of bodies… That's not something you forget…"

"You… Batarian _children_? How could you kill children?" Ash's voice is very quiet, almost a whisper.

"Why is that a surprise Ashley? I thought I was already know and loathed for that enough that everyone knew… and who_ is _that guy you're standing with… never seen him before and I hired the entire crew myself five years back." She doesn't sound pissed, but I'm guessing that's about to change. I give Ash's hand a quick squeeze and look into her eyes. They actually seem to understand the situation. _I swear, that woman… Divines help me if I ever lose her._

"My name is Private Thomas Fisher; I serve on the Normandy under Commander John'Shepard vas Normandy nar Rayya. I was hired along with Ashley Williams by Captain Anderson and Spectre Nihlus. The two of us were the only survivors from the 212'Th on Eden Prime. That's where Shepard saved our asses, and received the Prothean vision. As far as I'm informed. Ash nods, as to confirm what I've just said. Jane…_ God, I can't believe the shitstorm this will cause…_ just looks at us dumbfounded. I have no idea what she's thinking right now, but the haze and shimmer of blue that surrounds her body at the moment… probably doesn't mean she's happy; "We have just returned from Therum after having retrieved Liara T'soni and USCM marine corporal Tequila from the ruins there. The "monsters" you refer to were not in a dream, but belongs to an extremely hostile race of bug-like aliens. We call them Xenomorphs… but, I get off track. What's the last thing you remember… before Therum, and the cave?"

"I… I was helping Kaidan defend the nuclear device on Virmire, then there was an odd sound, like a warning signal from the bomb, and a white light. Next thing I know, I standing outside the Prothean barrier where Liara is trapped again… I was sure it was a dream… but… if it wasn't… what the hell happened? And why does this Shepard's name sound Quarian?"

"1. We have no idea what happened to you Jane, although I might have some ideas… sort of. But I need some time to figure this out. You are just no longer in the same version of the universe you belong in; don't ask me how or why.

2. In this dimension, _you_ were never born, and a Quarian named John'Shepard nar Rayya, helped us on Eden Prime, and received a vision. The same vision I'm guessing you are currently carrying. He was then given command over the Normandy, for reasons I have yet to figure out, and we are currently hunting Saren Arterius." She looks like I've just hit her. _Why is it like that with all the women in this universe?! Kasumi, Tequila, Ash and now Jane-fucking-Shepard… _Wait… how the hell do I explain this to the rest of them? I highly doubt Jane will just sit around or use a false name while another person commands what she sees as her ship. I walk back and whisper to Ash;

"Ash… she knows you. I know this may sound fucked up, but remember what I told Tali, that her John was not the same Shepard from my dimension? Well… back where I come from, in the universe Casey Hudson showed the human race of the early 21'th century, a person could choose between a male and a female Shepard… this woman… is the female… she comes from a future version of this place, a version where she has already experienced far more than we have, and I am pretty scared of what will happen when she tries to take back control over the Normandy…"

"But… it's John's ship, the captain said so himself… and you owe me an explanation for the things she's just said, this Virmire for once. I know it's a planet beyond Citadel restrictions, but why would she nuke the planet?"

"You're right, I do owe you an explanation, but that can wait… right now we have to make sure she doesn't go to town on John… or the other way around. They're both biotics; a fight between them… could tear a hole in the ship. And that's not something I'm looking for either."

"Alright… but what do we do about her?"

"Well, we've already told her the truth as we know it, so… perhaps just ask her to take a false name till we have had a little chat with the rest of the team?"

"You think that would work? She could just say "Fuck that!" and storm out and kill someone."

"It has to… unless you've got a better idea?"

"Nope… sorry, nothing here… it just seems… naïve to assume she won't go on a rampage when he has to work for a Quarian… I mean, do we even know if she's… you know, racist?"

"She shouldn't be, none of the options in the game were racist, so she shouldn't be either."

"Alright… but if this goes to hell, you restrain her. I get help." She says, her voice bears some of that cockiness I learned to like on Eden Prime.

"I guess that's fair…" and I turn to approach Jane Shepard, who's by now started to get out of bed.

"Ehm Jane?" I ask tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"Listen… I know this… what I'm about to ask you, won't be easy on you, but this ship already has a commander, John'Shepard. And he's just as set on killing Saren's ass as you are… so… could you try not to cause a shitstorm and not go out there and proclaim yourself commander of the Normandy?"

"Perhaps… but you are being awfully calm about this, and you seem to know a lot about me and where I come from… you're not _just_ a private, are you Mr. Fisher?" _She's good…_

"No ma'am, I'm not. Just as you don't originate from this dimension or time, neither do I. the difference is that while you travelled back in time, about six months, I travelled _forward_ in time, about two-hundred years. And I'm not from this dimension either. Where I'm from, a man named C. Hudson made your galaxy known to our galaxy by travelling here and back, then making a game about what he'd seen."

"Bullshit, even if I was to believe that thing about you being someone from the past and another dimension, there's no way someone back then could do that!"

"Well, then how the fuck do you think I'm here?!.. Commander." Ash steps in;

"He's telling the truth… ma'am. He was brought to this dimension by some creepy divine voice thing. I've heard it speak myself." _Ash is standing up for me, on something she at first was scared shitless over… what did I do to deserve this woman?_ It looks like what Ash said makes Jane stop and think, 'because she isn't shouting insults or calling us on our bullshit.

"Let's say I do believe everything you've just said… what happens now then?" okay, so we're not stuck on the ceiling, that's a good sign. Jane lies down again and sighs. I can kind of understand her. Everyone she knows, none of them will know her when she steps out of here. Still, this thing, her not going on a rampage… could prove to help us in the long run… I think.

"Alright Jane, the first thing we do is to let _you_ get some rest. And then perhaps someone will come over with some curry chicken. We've got an actual cook on the Normandy now. And you can tell him what you want; he's the same as I. sleep tight." Ash and I step out of the med-bay again, leaving the room in dark, and Jane to her own thoughts. I can see that everyone is standing in line at the kitchen table, so the grub must be finished. John is still bickering with Nicolai who appears to be purifying and putting on tube, a large portion of partially blended Turian cuisine. Or whatever he called it. Garrus is already at the new table, chatting with another crewmember. I was kinda hoping he would be talking to Tequila, get her over her xenophobia. But I guess stuff like that takes time. As more and more people leave the kitchen area, I can see some bowls are still left on the table. Four, to be specific. Ash and I grab a bowl each, and head to the guy in front of the large pot containing the yellow mass that we know as curry chicken. It smells just wonderful. My stomach tries to kill me when encountering the smell, as it has been empty for nearly twenty-four hours, if you leave out the coffee. True to military rumors, the guy by the pot slaps a lump of the paste-like food in my bowl, and says "Next!" with the same voice you'd expect to hear in a boot camp. Upon receiving my portion, I glance at Nic who's busy pumping out some kind of yellow and brown sausage in a tube. It really looks weird, but I guess it's the only way Quarian can eat outside a clean-room.

Ash tabs me on the shoulder, and seeing as Nic is too busy discussing food properties with John, I follow her to the table. Tali has saved us two seats, and a seat to her left. I don't have to think to guess who _that_ seat is for. Really, it sometimes seems like the Normandy is turning out to be more of a love boat than a warship. We sit down, and Ash gives me a smile and a quick peck on the cheek. _But honestly, it can perfectly fine be a love boat, I don't mind_. That's the second time she's given me a kiss. This time, I return it, earning a small… giggle, from Ash, as my stubs tickle her face. _Man, I've gotta shave… And buy a shaver._ I don't think I've ever heard her giggle before. It never seemed to be her style, but this… I could get used to that sound. I realize we've earned a few stares from around the table, some smiles and some shakes on the head. _Whatever. Let them stare all they want. I've got Ash_. I don't think I've ever felt this much at peace before. I realize I've been telling myself this a few times now, but it's true. I've got everything I want, and I even have the chance to change things for the better. Suddenly, my thoughts go to something Jane said; "Virmire… the place where everything can go wrong." But Devil take me if I let it go wrong there. I know what will happen, but unlike on Eden Prime, I'm gonna make sure we're prepared. Even if I have to arm the nuke myself with everyone miles away, I'm gonna make sure no one dies on Virmire. _You hear that Universe? No one dies on my watch!_

"_That's quite a promise"_

"_So what if it is?"_

"_What happens if you have to choose between yourself and Ash down there?"_

"_Do you even have to ask?"_

"_Just to be sure. Remember, I've locked myself out of Ash-related feelings and thoughts."_

"_Let me put it like this; I would take a bullet for her and go down happy. Answer enough?"_

"_Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. I would be out of job in that case."_

"_Yeah, so you better do your part in this."_

"_Meaning what exactly?"_

"_Like stop popping out of my head without asking first for a starter."_

"_We'll see…" _And the buzzing stops. Meaning he's gone somewhere else.

John sits down next to Tali, and hands her a tube. Nic then join us, taking a chair across from where Ash and I are seated. He takes a forkful of the curry, and he seems satisfied with himself. I haven't tasted it yet but… _mmmmmm… fucking delicious!_ I let the food stay on the tongue for as long as possible, before it would just be weird. Hey, I haven't eaten in twenty-four hours, cut me some slack here;

"Nic, amigo. I've gotta say; I don't know if it's the hunger, but to me, this is the best thing you've ever made."

"I can second that." Ash says, having just swallowed a mouthful herself.

"But you've never tasted my food before?"

"No, but if it's all like this, then I'm looking forward to." A lot of "I hear that" and "Agreed" sounds from the nearby crewmen.

"Awww, I'm getting all emotional here. Thanks guys" he says, and wipes away a fake tear. I turn towards John and Tali, Garrus too;

"So how's your food guys?"

"'Been long since I've had something that didn't taste bland, but this is delicious Nicolai. Where the hell have you been all our life?" John adds the last one in a mock tone. Good thing too, or I think Tali would get a little confused. John then leans over to me, speaking to me behind Tali's back;

"So…. Thomas. Tali told me your… well, unusual story. At first I didn't really believe her, but she's never lied to me before, so… I just wanna ask; is it really true?" _Oh man… did he have to say that in here? Well, he's still taking it better than I feared, not shouting or fainting._

"Yeah… it is… sorry to break it to you man… commander… but I'm not really your definition of a normal guy. "

"Keelah… well, I figured as much. The way you carried yourself, like you knew more than anyone else, yet still knew close to nothing about this place, and how you just happened… to bump into Tali in the clinic… but… there is something else, something I would like to talk to you about. Your friend Nicolai is welcome as well; I understand he's the same as you?"

"Yeah, ended up in an alley and was carried to Doctor Michelle's by a turian. And Ash knows as well… but what is it you wanna talk about?"

"Not here. After we've eaten, meet me in… say the med-bay. Somewhere we won't be disturbed."

"Okay…. Then… I'll see you there… Commander…"

"And Thomas?"

"Yeah?"

"When we're not in the field, just call me John."

"Can do… commander" I add with a sly smile.

After the dinner, me, Ash and Nic meet in front of the med-bay's door. We've already told him just who is lying in there. He damn near fell over and fainted when he heard it. Well, I guess I was pretty shocked when I found out as well. Not every day you happen to meet the supposed non-existent real commander Shepard… even though it's a girl, and not the… what am I even thinking about? In this place, Shepard is the real Shepard, no matter if it's a human or a Quarian. Well, I guess I would have had an easier time accepting the human Shepard from the beginning, but that's not the point. The point is that Shepard is the right one, even though he's a Quarian. It just might raise hell when the two meet each other… _wait a second… I agreed to meet in the med-bay with John. That's where Jane still is! Oh for the love of Mara! This is not gonna end well, I can feel it!_

"_Would you have me intervening?"_

"_Hell no! the last thing I need right now is to spook the lot of them, and even though they know about you, it doesn't mean your voice aint scary as hell!"_

"_Isn't* scary as hell…"_

"_What?"_

"_Never mind…there is John… and Tali?"_

"_Hmmm…"_

For some reason, John has brought Tali with him. Well, I brought Ash, so I guess it's even. Besides… _Why is Tequila here to_o?The marine has showed up as well, now wearing a naval uniform… _never thought I should see her in that kind of clothes… well, I saw her without armor, but that was just…. Undergarments? It wasn't formal clothes like these…_ Nicolai turns to look at our new arrivals, and his eyes stop dead at Tequila; she has managed to get a shower before we met, which surprises me, as she shouldn't even know of the meeting… and how the hell did she manage to make herself ready in seven minutes?... _women…_ her hair is tied up in that ponytail she had before… well, before everything went so shit I guess. Her face is clean of dirt and all the scars looks like they've been cleaned as well. …_ I'll never understand how they get it all done so fast…_ well, it's not like she can't be here, she knows as well, and she kept Jane alive along with Liara down there, so I guess she's earned it… by the way, I wonder if Liara has awakened yet…

"Corporal, I wasn't aware you would be here as well… have you found a bunk?" John asks.

"Yeah, I've got myself settled down there, so I thought I would check on my soldier… something tells me I'm not the only one?" She looks at the group. _Well, here goes nothing. _

"Ehm John, can we discuss that important stuff before we go inside? It would kinda fall to the ground when we meet the soldier."

"We can, I guess…" the mess hall is actually clear, well, except for us that is; "Tali told me, you know, of the… well, encounter you people had around the hill… of your, well how you ended up here. But it's not that I wanted to ask you about… it's ahhh… well, Tali told me that one of the things you… and that voice… had said, was that… in your eyes, or in the dimension you come from, I'm not supposed be here… or at least, the Commander Shepard you expected… should be human…" Nicolai widens his eyes, obviously surprised that John knows this, and is taking it so well. _Hell, I would be curled up on the floor crying like a baby if I found out something like that…_

"Oh shit John… I…" he raises a hand, and I shut up.

"It's not that I wanted to say. Hell, that wasn't even a question, was it?"

"I… guess not…"

"What I wanted to ask, and please don't take this the wrong way; I'm not doubting your locality or something… what I want to know, and I want an honest answer here… if you were to find the "real" commander Shepard… could you still follow my orders?" Oh… now that's a… well, I guess I should say it's a no-brainer, but the way he said it also makes me think. I mean, John led us all in and back out of Therum, through a horde of Hell-spawned bugs, he's a real leader. But what he asks… if I had to choose between him and Jane, assuming he doesn't know about her yet, what would I choose? Who would I follow? Still, John has saved my life more than once, so it's a no-brainer;

"Hell Commander, as long as you don't order me to shoot myself, I would follow you into human Hell… why do you ask?"

"Oh… just with all the weird shit going on, it wouldn't surprise me if the person you know as Commander Shepard suddenly dropped from the sky… but I'm glad you said that."

"Any time sir."

"Thomas, call me John."

"I'll work on that, Sir."

"Keelah… let's go in there..." he says with a more cheerful voice and a shrug.

"Yeah, I've got something to show you… you in particular John… and you may not like it, but you know where my loyalties lie." I say as I lead him through the door.

"You know Thomas, you almost sound like you _have_ found the human Shepard…"

"Yeah… that's… a little…" I turn and look at Jane who is sitting on her bed, dressed in a uniform like Tequilas. Chakwas is sitting on her chair and typing something on her lap-top. She looks at us.

"You know John; I think she's had a harder knock on the head than I thought at first. She keeps asking about you, and what happened on Torfan and on Akuze. I don't know why, but she seems insistent that someone were massacred there… I recommend keeping her in here till she is more clearheaded." Holy shit! How much has Jane told Chakwas? I'm about to ask, but John beats me to it;

"Has she said anything about who she is doctor?" Chakwas shakes her head at this;

"No… apparently she has no memory of her own identity… I just don't understand why. The scans show no damage to the parts of the brain that controls memories… what's odd though, is that she appears to have the same kind of abnormal brainwaves as you… very strange…"

"Thank you doctor Chakwas… would it be possible for you to give us some time alone with the patient?"

"Of course. Just call me if there is a situation." She smiles and walks through the door. I resume where I left;

"Uhm John, there is someone I'd like you to meet…" I point at the woman on the bed, her gaze now fixed on me and John; "I… I… give you, Commander Jane Shepard…" at this, John stops dead in his tracks, almost falling and grabs for support at the desk. Jane looks at him in what I guess is wonder, probably thinking just who has replaced her on the Normandy.

"So… this is Commander John'Shepard? I heard how you guys got us out of there, saved our asses when we were doomed by the fucking bugs" _Okay, she swears, but she doesn't open up with a racist remark…_ That's a good sign.

"Yes… that' me… and you are… Commander Jane'Shepard? I… don't quite know what to say, never imagined this… but why exactly do we have the same last name… we're not family, and the name isn't that common among the Alliance military… what am I even doing, asking you this… what is should be asking, I guess… is what happens now?" he manages to get back his posture, and leans on a bed next to hers. His arms crossed, and his gaze turned downwards… I think. His visor has been downplayed a bit, so you can see more of the face. I can actually see a nose, much like my own. I guess if they've got two eyes, and a nose like us, Quarians aren't _that_ different from us. But, I'm zooming out, Jane is just sitting there, looking at John with surprise in her eyes. Breaking the silence, Tequila speaks up;

"Damn… you are… Commander Shepard? Or are you both… this is really confusing…."

"Tell me about it…. But… Jane… are you sure that… Thomas, are you sure that… sorry, I just need to fathom this… so… I'm not really supposed to exist, but something changed so that I did exist… and you didn't…. but… what happened now?"

"I… don't really know… I mean, we're still after Saren, so it's not like I'm gonna fight you or anything" _Pheew… okay, so no biotic Jedi-fights… that's good_. "And I want to be a part of it… but do I have to use a fake name?" _okay, not the simplest question, but a good one._

"I… don't really know. I mean, if you go out there and pronounce yourself Jane _Shepard_, some will start to wonder… then I'd rather explain my team the whole situation before you make someone panic…"

"I guess that's fair…. But do you know about your friend there" she points at me; "Thomas Fisher? That he's… well, kinda like me?" _glad I told him, that would have been awkward to explain if not._

"Yeah, I know about mister "cross-dimension" here. He's part of the crew, so I don't give a damn if he's from another world. And neither do I care or at least it doesn't bother me about your past either, if you want to be part of the crew as well." _Well, that wasn't unexpected, but I feared he wouldn't include her. I mean, she's Jane Shepard, human biotic and badass… wonder if she had something going with Kaidan in her old dimension…"_

"_Want me to have a look in her mind and find out?" _

"_What the… no! I didn't even know you could do that, and you are _not_ sneaking into other people brains… I think you cause enough confusion as it is, being inside mine."_

"_Sorry, sorry…"_

Jane looks at John again, and… smiles… _she's talking to the guy who replaced her in this universe, and the guy who's the reason she can't be in command… and she smiles… as I said before; Women!_

"_Yet you wouldn't leave Ash for anything on earth… or out here."_

"_Damn straight I wouldn't!"_

"Yes… I would like that. Even though it may take some getting used to, I can't imagine being anywhere else. Besides, recapturing Bone-face is just another challenge."

"Bone-face?" I ask.

"Well… Garrus Vakarian…"_ oh…. Now that was unexpected. I wasn't aware one could romance him in the first game… another proof that this is real life… not a game._

"Oh… well, he's certainly available… I think…" Jane gives me a weird stare at this, like she doesn't know what I'm talking about..._So... she's not with Garrus?_

"Well, let's not waste any time. I'll get the team together and tell them a little story. I think it's best if the time-travelers on the team stays here. Well, that's everyone besides me and Tali, so… just stay here… it would be hard to keep them from bombarding you with questions… besides, we need someone here in case T'soni wakes up. _Oh yeah, Liara. I had completely forgotten about her…_

"Alright Sir, give 'em Hell… I think. I don't know if that's the right thing to say here, but just, break a leg." He stops and looks at me;

"Is that some kind of treat Thomas?"

"What?... Oh Hell no, it is… a human way of saying good luck…"

"Keelah… I'm gonna need it, I fear… Tali, you coming?"

"I'm right behind you John." _Well, that speaks for itself… _

Then, we're all that's left in here; Me, Ash, Nicolai, Tequila and Jane. It could have been an awkward silence, but luckily, Nic remembered something;

"Well, seeing as no one in here have to worry about hearing freaky shit… what was it that kept you for so long down here when Nihlus and John called for a meeting?"

"Oh… yeah, that one…Uhm… well, you're probably the only one who's gonna know who I'm talking about, but I… was held back by someone… I guess you could say I met an old friend… who didn't know she was my friend."

"Who?"

"Well, I'll give you a hint; She loves ramen, and she's like a child at times." Nicolai get's a wide grin on his face.

"No way man, my sister was here?" _Eh?_

"What the… No! I didn't even know you _had _a sister!"

"Relax amigo, I'm messing with ya… are you saying Kasumi was here?"

"Spot on. Scared the fuck out of me, playing ghost and poking me."

"Okay… but that isn't really that freaky, and my brain hasn't blown yet…" _Oh yeah, I told him it would blow his brain… well, listen to this;_

"Alright, but that isn't the freaky part. She knew about my inner voice, and she had been given some kind of code by… brace yourself, Casey Hudson; the asshole who showed our dimension Mass Effect had actually been here. He just made the game on memory, not fantasy! And the code he gave Kasumi allows her to bring stuff back from other dimensions." _Now even other men looks like I slapped them when I tell them something… what is wrong with me?_

"Mother of…. Shit! Are you fucking kidding me?"

"'Afraid not mate, she practically jumped when I showed her a pic of Hudson himself… oh, and I told her that I knew her universe as a game… she didn't take it as well as I had hoped…"

"No, that's because it's kind of shocking to be told you've been seen as a game by billions of people in another dimension… they could have looked while I showered!" Ash breaks in. guess she has point there. _Though I wouldn't mind that sight..._ No! Bad brain!_ She trusts me, so shut up! Besides, it's clear that my feelings towards her are returned, so… are you spying? Right, he can't hear me… God, I don't even feel safe in my own thoughts anymore…_; And Thomas, you still haven't told me about Virmire. I exchange a look with Nicolai. We both know what could happen on Virmire.

"Yeah, I know… sorry about that. But about the part where I promised to explain the Virmire thing to you… I never actually saw that much of Virmire, only know what the Genesis told me… anyway; On Virmire… something will happen. In the original game, we would arm a nuke and blow the place to hell and back."

"Which is where I was lost." Jane cuts in.

"Right… but before you… they… the bomb can be blown, the person making the choices will be forced to decide who to leave behind to die…" I swallow and look at Ash; "…You or Kaidan…" _but there's no way in Hell I'm gonna let it play out like that. Not if I can help it!_

"_You've already said that, you know?"_

"_Shut up…"_

"Bu- but… that's bullshit! I mean, the commander would be able to get us all out of there… or what?" That last question was turned at Jane. The redhead looks pretty miserable right now…_Oh shit! She chose Kaidan!_

"_This could escalate…" _

"_You don't say!" _

"Actually… no. I tried, but we couldn't get to your group Ash… we… had to leave you behind if the mission were to succe-"She is interrupted by a hard smack to the face. Ash is fuming, her eyes filled with a rage like I've only seen once, with Bosker, and then it was a smile compared to this. Ash lifts her hand again, this time in a fist. _Oh shit! I was so worried about her and John fighting... That I forgot about the "one-dies" part of Virmire!_. Ash brings the fist down, but I rush in and stop it before she costs Jane a tooth. When I grab the arm… Krosis, she's a hard hitter. Ash keeps pressing down the arm, apparently obvious to the fact that I'm holding it. Tequila and Nic has stepped in as well, the marine checking on Jane while Nic helps me stop Ash. I look into her eyes. _So much… anger. She has just been told that this woman would let her die before a mission… this is bad._ Tears start streaming down Ashley's face. She still stares at Jane who just sits there, dumfounded;

"How the fuck could you do that!? Just leave me behind like that!?" She almost screams at the other woman.

"Ashley…I …I…" Jane manage to utter.

"Don't _fucking "_Ash" me! Don't even say my name! You left me, the other version of me, to die on some fucked up planet! Don't give me that crap about how important the mission is! John would never leave anyone behind; neither would anyone else in here!"

"Williams… I… I had to choose… there wasn't enough time to…."

"Don't give me that! There's always enough time! You just didn't try hard enough!"

"Listen Godammit! I tried my hardest Ashley! I really did! I'm sorry, but I couldn't save you both! Believe me, I wanted to, but there wasn't enough time! You both begged me to save the other, to ignore your own needs… in the end I just couldn't save both of you! Okay? I'm sorry Ash! I truly, truly am, but I couldn't save you both!" Jane has actually got tears in her eyes now… just like Ash. Jane's are tears of regret, of sorrow. She just yelled at the same woman she would leave for dead on Virmire, if she hadn't been dragged here. _She must feel like shit… _Ash doesn't look much better. But where I can't really help Jane, I can help Ash. I've let her arm go, and she just stands there and heaves for breath. I pull her into a tight embrace, and after some seconds of thinking she might reject it, Ash responds to it, clinging to me as if her life depended on it. I don't really know what to do here, so I just hold her tight and whisper;

"It's okay, it's okay… I'm here. You're safe…" she just hugs me tighter, the heaves and sobs making her body quake. I feel… powerless. My rock, the woman of my dreams, the one who stood strong against geth and aliens… is crying on my shoulder. After having stood there for a minute, stroking her cheeks and her hair, she breathes in and let's go off me. She sighs, and turns towards the shaken Spectre;

"Well… then consider this a second chance to right the wrong." She says, and then leaves the room, leaving the rest of us to look after her.


	9. Nightmares, dreams and trouble

**A/N: Alright guys, we had quite the... discussion between our two female team-members last time, so let's see if we can't keep them from hating each other, shall we? And Ash does seem to have some... issues with Jane's decisions in the past.**

**Well now, without further do-de, let's go for it.**

* * *

Nightmares, fulfilled dreams and more trouble.

I exit the room, leaving the rest of the group to help Jane come to terms with her new… situation. Ash left ahead of me, and I wanna make sure she's safe… or, not "safe" as nothing could happen to her here, but that she doesn't have a "John-like" moment, with the crying and the curling in the bathroom. When I exit the elevator on third floor. I don't have to worry though, as I hear the repeated hits on a punch bag in the small gym behind the crew quarters. Ash, not having bothered to take off any uniform, or even her shoes, is hammering away at the bag, almost knocking it off its hinges and chains. She's not using any kind of technique, juts sheer violence and rage. I must admit, I would have been surprised if she had just accepted all this. Maybe, a session of going to town on the poor punching bag will help. The room is otherwise unoccupied, meaning John must be having the whole "Revelations-party" in the CIC. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to their reactions; I always hated unwanted or unnecessary attention, and this was not gonna be the wanted and necessary kind of attention. I take a seat on one of the workout benches, leaning against the ribs on the wall. Ash doesn't appear to have noticed me; she just keeps on punching the bag, almost like she wants to hurt her hands. I can't really say I understand her, I mean; I can sympathize with her, having met and hit the woman who would let her die, then just walking out in the middle of a rage-fit. But I've never had to go through something like that, having my own death told… _oh wait…_

"Ash… are you…. Okay?" I ask carefully. I'm not looking to further enrage her, or accidently piss her off. _We may actually love each other… or I love her, and I think she loves me as well… at least, she's fond of me…but in such a state… I think she's forgotten that…_

"Yeah…" she keep punching the bag, often sending it flying in circles, receiving it with a kick upon its return to her; "Why do you ask?" I keep watching the punches for some seconds, considering how best to voice my thoughts;

"Listen… I know it can't be easy, to hear someone talk about your death, or your impending death, in that matter… but… I can't really put myself in those shoes… or… I don't know if that sounded right… what I mean is… I'm here if you…-"She suddenly turns towards me;

"-… wanna talk? Sure, let's talk… so, I've just been told by a complete stranger that, not only does she know me, but she also left me to die on some fucked up mission! So yeah, I'm fine…"

"I… I'm sorry…" I say. Ash really sounds and looks like she is the definite opposite of "okay". Her eyes are red, and her hands are shaking. She sighs, deep and heavily. She shakes her head, the black hair falling down her cheeks, the bundle on her head has all but untied;

"Don't… don't be sorry Thomas… I'm the one who should be sorry. You couldn't know what would happen up there, what she would say… and even though you knew what could happen on that planet… you're _not_ responsible for what happens… or what happened… " She shakes her head again, that beautiful yet saddened face, staring at me. A small smile emerges on her face, not the wonderful warm smile that she sends me when she's in good mood, or just not destroyed over learning of her dimensional twins death;

"I don't know how you do it, why you do it. Why you stick by me even when I'm shouting at you, yelling or even screaming and cursing at you… how you can even stand me at some points. Just now for example; you come down here and try to help me, and what do I do? I yell at you, swear and curse… why do you stick around?" _Does she even have to ask me that?_ I grab both her shoulders gently, and use the left hand to raise her chin. Her eyes, those beautiful brown circles, framing the black center… they just go on and on… _I could keep starring into them for hours…_ I give a small chuckle, this time, a genuine one. I stroke her cheek, earning a small smile from her;

"Why I stick around Chief? Well, I really don't know…" I kiss her on the forehead, a quick and soft peck; "might have something to do with you… oh, and the fact that I couldn't go on for one day without you next to me…" I give her another peck, this time one the nose, a little softer and lighter than the previous one; "Next silly question?" She smiles again; her face really brightens now;

"You really do feel that way about me?" I don't think I've seen her _this_ happy since… well, the closest thing would be me waking up after Eden Prime, or when we regrouped after the back alley-firefight.

"Ash… you're probably the only person I've ever said this to… well, except for my mother, or my dad… once… but…. "I give a wide smile; "Hell Ash, I love yo-"I don't get to finish my last word, before she grabs me by the head, and kisses me on the mouth. _Holy smokes!_ It's a long and at the start awkward kiss, mostly because I've never done this before… but it gets better. She giggles, and guides my head in the right angle, our mouths matching and I am finally able to return the kiss. I have never been this scared, and this happy, in one and the same moment. We stand there like that, and it feels like the only thing in the world… is us.

After having clung herself to me, and my face, Ash finally let's go of me and pants. _I guess she never had a chance to catch her breath after the… Mother of the Divines! She kis- no, we kissed each other!_ If only my parents could have known that I would find the woman of my dreams in another universe…

My entire body boils with something pleasant, like someone lit a fire inside me, and I'm now running on the very flames like some kind of steam engine. I've never felt this happy in my life! Being born? Piece of cake! Waking up here? That was shit! Meeting Ash… the beginning of my life!

"_Well, somebody's happy…"_

"_Oh I love you too you stupid piece of ghost matter!"_

"… _that's…. new…._ "

I realize Ash is staring at me again, with the warm smile that always makes me melt inside. Her face, no her entire being just beams of energy. It's like someone just turned her switch on, making a whole new person, one who wasn't burdened by the loss and guilt of her fallen fellow soldiers, one who isn't afraid of the prospects of the future. One… that loves me back;

"Wow…. I certainly wasn't expecting that… though it was nowhere near unpleasant Ash…" I say, almost chuckling with happiness. I just can't keep it in. my face is now a constant wide smile, and I'm not afraid of showing the world.

"Well, you weren't that bad yourself Mister Fisher… although it didn't feel like you've had much practice." She says with a smile. She suddenly starts fidgeting with her hair, making it look like she's actually a bit nervous;

"Hell, as I said, I've never felt like this for anyone before Ash… it may sound ridicules to you, but… well, you _are _the first girl I've ever kissed, and if I have any say in it, you're gonna be the last as well." At this, she widens her eyes and looks at me with surprise in them. _Crap, did I actually mess up? I hope what I just said isn't going to scare her off. It almost sounded like a proposal… _then, she smiles again;

"Now come on you big fool, I think John is finished up there, and we wouldn't wanna get caught by Garrus down here, now would we?" she finishes with a chuckle, and starts moving for the elevator. I then grab her hand;

"Ash… Thank you…so much…" She still smiles;

"Thomas, don't you for a second think I didn't do it because I wanted to; I… well, I guess being my knight in blazing armor made you pretty attractive to me…" She just widens her smile even more. _If someone wakes me up now… I swear to God I'll strangle him!_

"Thanks, but I wasn't _just_ talking about the kiss, which was the best thing that's happened to me since meeting you. I was also talking about the whole, you accepting me for who I am. It made me so, so happy when you actually stood up for me back there. Not because I needed defending, but because it meant you had come to terms with who I am… with what I am…"

"Thomas… you are not a "what", you are a someone… and to me, that's a very special someone." I take her hand more gently, and squeeze it;

"There are no words to tell you how… how happy and glad that makes me..." I almost get a lump in my throat, being close to tears. But for the first time since… well, many years, they are tears of joy, not sadness. Ash breaks the silence by letting her hand glide out of mine, and squeeze my shoulder;

"Me too Thomas… now, let's get up there and make sure you get your part of the harassment, shall we?" She gives an almost evil smile, and I just think "_Woman… where have you been all my life?"_

"_Well, that's pretty obvious, seeing as she's-"_

"_Shut up…"_

"_Will do…."_

The ride up in the elevator, is nowhere near awkward; Ash leans on my shoulder, and I hold her like this until the pings tells me we're at the Mess Hall. As we walk up the staircases, I try to visualize the different outcomes the meeting could have had. I don't hear any gunshots, neither are there any signs of violence anywhere to be seen, so they haven't dragged Nic away._ Alright mate… better brace ye'self. Questions and remarks are to be had…_ the door to the CIC opens, and we round the corner to head to the conference room. We stop outside, and I look at Ash. She gives me a smile and a kiss on the cheek. Somewhere behind us, I can hear someone yell "Get a room!"_ Fuck him… I'm dealing with waaayy bigger shit here._ I sigh and breathe in. I open the door;

"Now _there's_ the star of the show!" _wait what?_ Why did Garrus shout that?

"I never would have figured kid, but I guess it doesn't matter" Kaidan says. _okay, they are taking it very well…_

"_Thomas?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Get your ass up. You fainted at the door!" _Oh no!

"_Wha?"_

"_I said get UP NOW!" _And a sudden bold of electricity shoots through me. I almost jumps up, and it makes me dizzy as hell. The conference room is filled with people, ground crew only. They are all looking at me, Nihlus in particular. _Crap… that was embarrassing beyond words._ Everyone's staring, but seeing as no one else is gonna say something, Nihlus takes the opportunity;

"Well, private Fisher. It really does seem like there is more to you than meets the eye. However, there is one thing, one last way of determining whether or not you've played us for fools." _Wait what?_ I look at John, seated next to Nihlus. He shrugs, and then nods. I look back at Nihlus;

"And that is?"

"This voice of yours, well not your own voice, but the described being inside your head who spoke out on Therum. May we meet… hear him?"_ Oh you've gotta be kidding me! This can't end well!_

"_And why is that?"_

"_Consider this, will you; You scared my friend half to death, and he _knew_ I was a dimensional traveler. You scared Ash almost shitless, and she loves me. Now how do you think a conservative Turian Spectre will respond? He might get scared and fucking shoot me!"_

"_I highly doubt that. This could turn out rather interesting actually."_

"_Oh really? I thought it would be boring as hell!"_

"_I will speak to them… hold on"_ and I start having a headache. Just as if someone propped a mice into my ears and turned on that high-pitched and annoying-as-fuck tone;

"_**Well Spectre. You wished to hear my voice, and I speak to you!" **_'The look on Nihlus face almost makes up for the unpleasant feeling of being used as a broadcaster. The turian seems taken aback, but quickly regains his posture;

"Well… this is certainly… interesting. To say the least." I see Nicolai massage his temples. _I hope they didn't torture him or something…_

"_Stop thinking, I need to concentrate for this!"_

"_Sorry, sorry!"_ looking around the rest of the room, the faces are pretty much the same. Kaidan and Garrus are completely frozen, while John, who didn't hear the voice before now, looks like he's having a case of something. He is shaking all over, as if someone just splashed him in ice water, and Wrex just stares, his mouth open, but no words are formed. I notice Tequila is there as well, sitting next to Nic;

"Spirits…" Garrus manage to say.

"Well, that's one way to say it." Kaidan says, his jaw finally moving after having been dropped on the floor.

"_**Oh do not look so frightened all of you! If I were going to posses your souls I would have done so already!"**__Wait, posses their souls? Can you do that?!_

"_Quiet, I'm playing them! Don't spoil this. It may not sound like it, but I haven't had this fun in eons"_

"_Okay… just make sure they are not going to throw me out the airlock!"_

"_I aim to please."_

"_Why do you always say that?!"_

"_Say what?"_

"_That! The motto of yours, you're not exactly pleasing anyone right now!"_

"_Other than myself?" _I swear, I can almost hear a chuckle.

"_**Do not worry or think Thomas some sort of exotic being. He is merely a human. I brought him here to make a difference; how he does it is up to him."**_

"But… how… why… no, how did he end up here?" Kaidan finally manages to utter. _Guess I would have asked that one myself… you tell it._

"_**Fair question mister Alenko. Thomas originates from Earth, only not Earth as you know it. In another universe, back in the early twenty-first century, Thomas lived in a relatively big city called Aarhus. One morning he was killed in a train accident, and woke up in my realm. I gave him three choices; to wake up on Earth again, his body crippled in ways that would make a certain scientist in that time look like a sports athlete. Mind you, the scientists could only move his throat. Thomas declined.**_

_**I then offered him what you humans know as Heaven, or Paradise. He could have had an eternity of peace and happiness. Thomas also declined this. **_

_**I finally gave him the opportunity to be remade, or as you call it "Reborn" in another dimension. Before we proceed, there is something you should know, as to why I chose this dimension to drop him off…" **__Oh…_

"_Actually, I would like to take over from here… it gets to not-personal if you do the whole voice-over, and I just stand here…."_

"_Well, it's your future… speak then…"_

"_**But… I believe Thomas would be better suited to tell you this himself…"**_ And suddenly, everyone's eyes are on me again, and I mean _me_, not my head where the voice just came from. Nihlus speaks up;

"Well, out with it Thomas!" he used my first name, so I guess he's pretty nervous.

"Well… I'm glad everyone's seated, 'cause this is gonna be a bit of a bombshell. I don't know what Nic has told you, about where we are from, but in our dimension, a man named Casey Hudson, the leader… One of the leaders of a company called BioWare, found a way to cross the dimensional walls… or something like that. He must have, and this is purely my guess, traveled here and experienced all of this, hell, he must even have been a part of the crew on the Normandy… Well… he then came back to his own dimension but instead of telling the world this amazing story, he made it… a game instead. So, my entire… my old dimension, knows everyone of you people as nothing but pixels… as to why I was brought here? I can't say why it was me, was I special? I don't know. But I do know why I was brought here; my little… companion, has a problem of trying to surpass his predecessors with crossovers. He even brought back the first European to fly, but I guess this was… is supposed to be his "masterpiece". The reason I was brought here, is, I guess, I was always something of a nerd in this universe, exploring all about it and so on, so he thought I might be able to change things for the better here, or at least the outcome. And one thing that changed almost right away, was you, Nihlus."

"Me?!" he looks around, as if looking for other people called Nihlus.

"Yeah… you see, in the original, God I hate that sentence, version of Mass… of the… game that Hudson showed us, Saren killed you before Shepard could show up, and the only other witness was a traumatized dockworker… so, the council didn't believe us when the team told them about Saren and the Reapers…"

"That's… something to be happy with… I guess. But there is something else, before I hand you over to the other's questions."

"Fire away, I'm done with secrets." And I am. Hiding things from these people nearly got me killed a couple of times.

"What _do_ you know of these Reapers? I haven't been able to dig up anything on them, yet they seem important to Saren's plan."

"Oh boy… you're asking for a headache and a lot of waking nights mate… sure you wanna…no, I'll say it no matter what, we need to be ready…" I breathe in again, looking to first Ash, who smiles at me, nodding to go on. then to Nicolai who's sitting next to her and Tequila. He nods, looking tense. _Alright, here goes nothing!_

"The Reapers… to describe them proper would take knowledge that even I don't have. I was… well, killed before the last part of Hudson's tale was published, but I'll share with you what I know." Suddenly, I feel like Ellen Ripley in Aliens 2, where she tries to explain a Xenomorph to the marines. The difference just is, these people will listen;

"They are a sentient race of starships, enormous in size and wielding unfathomable amounts of power. If you want to imagine one, simply think back to the large ship we saw land on, and take off from Eden Prime. That was Sovereign, a reaper of medium size. They posses some kind of armor or shield that even the Destiny Ascension would have to work on, and their main cannon would cut through the Ascension's shields in one blow. What makes these things so incredibly dangerous, is the fact that they are not piloted by a crew, like the Normandy is. They ARE the crew. Each Reaper, and from what I know, there's thousands of them, is one being, one intelligence. They wiped out the Prothean empire 50.000 years ago, and every 50.000 years they come back to cleanse the galaxy of all life but the most primitive. They will be back, and soon."

"Bu- but that is impossible! I mean, even if that was the case, why would Saren be helping them? They want to kill us all as you say."

"That… is another thing that makes the Reapers so dangerous. Indoctrination. They use some kind of microwaves and ultrasound to manipulate and damage the brain of an organic, like Saren. Then the victim will start believing that the Reapers are the good guys, and all who fight them are bad guys… Saren is the victim of indoctrination. That is also why and how he could bring himself to aim the gun at you Nihlus."

"This… is… unbelievable… it can't be true… they would have found something to prove the existence of the Reapers, something to prove they had been here before…" I don't have an answer for that one, but right when I'm about to shrug, Nic rises from his seat;

"They never found it, because the people who did find it were indoctrinated by the Reaper corpses. Yes, even when dead the Reapers are dangerous. Other than that, the pieces of Reaper tech that were uncovered were sealed away, hidden and forgotten."

"Thanks Nic. I had forgotten about that one."

"That's why I'm here." I then turn to Nihlus who, like the rest of the crew, is looking everything but happy with these news. Hell, I understand. As Anderson once said... or, will say; the truth is brutal, it's nightmare stuff." I guess now I understand him. What he meant;

"Any other questions?" I ask. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but my legs are starting to hurt and I would really appreciate it if they would let me sit down.

"N- no. I think that's all…. I need to speak with the council. Shepard, you stay here as well as you Fisher. The rest of you… dismissed." He looks really tired, and I guess I am as well. I look at the clock on my Omni-tool, thanking the divines that Ash taught me how to use that function. As the rest file out, Ash gives me a squeeze on the shoulder;

"You did good Thomas… I just think we all need some time to process this Reaper-thing… but I will see how the others took it. Whatever happens though… I'm with you in this."

"And so am I. 'Don't worry Amigo, you did great. I'll answer whatever questions they might still have, you know… Leave you and those two some space." Nic then says.

"Oh, did anyone mention Jane?" by hearing the name, I can tell Ash darkens a little. It's an improvement though, compared to the fact that she slapped Jane last time, and then started yelling.

"Nah, I think John wants to startle them one a surprise at a time… but it'll come though… she can't stay in there forever… besides, only a matter of time before Liara wakes up."

"Indeed, and now you must leave us alone. We are getting a transmission through to the Council" Nihlus says. John is already leaning against the railing on the side of the room, facing the three holo-disks where the councilors will appear… I think.

"Okay. I won't risk the disturbance and confusion of telling the entire council what we know. Rather, I have made contact with councilor Valern. Well, let's see what he says to this… don't be surprised though, if he refuses without evidence. And I doubt the voice would do here. No offence, but it is easy to make something like that over a comm. system. As if to answer him, a hologram suddenly flickers to life in front of us. _The wonders of modern tech._ The Salarian councilor stands before us, watching and waiting. _Hey that sounded kind of cool._

"_Yes, yes, now pay attention, will you!"_

"_Alright, alright, I was going to… sheeesh…"_

"Nihlus, what news do you and… Commander Shepard have for me?" the Salarian councilor asks.

"Councilor we have uncovered a truly disturbing find. The flagship that attacked the Human colony of Eden Prime was not just a ship. It is an enormous AI, hundreds of thousands of years old." The Salarian councilor looks like he's been slapped. _Nice going Nihlus, stealing my act._ After some seconds of blinking, the councilor speaks;

"It is not that I question your words Spectre Kryik, but a sentient starship… hundreds of thousands of years old… that demands proof. What are your sources?" at this, Nihlus looks at me in a questioning manner, and I realize he's asking my permission to tell the Salarian. _Hell, we got this far, but Ge'nesh! if that Salarian is just gonna refuse, like in the second game…_

"This man at my left was present during one of the councils meetings, though I doubt you should remember him. You will, however, remember what I tell you now… the man who stands beside me, is not from this dimension. I have seen proof of this myself. He was brought here by an eternal being, who apparently resides inside his mind. When I asked for evidence of this presence, I was met by a being, so powerful that its voice alone made the room tremble and shutter. He brought Thomas Fisher here from a dimension in which a human named Hudson made it possible for himself to visit our dimension, and thereby cross the very boundaries of space and time. In returning to his own dimension, Hudson shared with the rest of the world his experience. But not as a tale of truth. He made a legend that people followed… Fisher here is one of them. When Fisher was brought here, it was therefore with the knowledge of things yet to come, and one of these things was the Reapers." The Salarian blinks again, this time he doesn't stop until after several seconds has passed, and the whole situation has become slightly awkward. He then looks at me;

"Hmmm… this is very fascinating indeed. That is, if this is true."

"Councilor, Nihlus already told you, but I'll say it as well. I'm not from here. I will gladly give you any evidence you would ask, as long as it isn't me going into some kind of wormhole… I've heard that is kinda unhealthy…"

"Yes, quite so… there is a way, actually. If we count out a mind-meld with Tevos, I might be able to verify this claim if you meet me on the Citadel. Then, I will meet this "being" that resides in you. And if there is none, the matter is settled. If there _is_ one… well, galactic policy might become very interesting… very soon."

"So… you are not just writing me off as a liar or a crazy?" _That's honestly more than I had expected…_

"Fisher, if the Salarians did things like that, we might never have advanced to a degree like what we are now. We do not write off or dismiss claims that may seem to weird to be true. We examine them, and if they hold, we gain the benefits where other races would have bypassed the chance."

"Well… I guess I can say I'm very pleasantly surprised…"

"Oh? I thought you would know the outcome from the legend of Hudson… or am I missing something here?" _He's not dumb. _

"No councilor, you are not. In the legend… or story that Hudson told us, both Tevos and Sparatus would be… present at this meeting, and Sparatus would write me off like a fly… don't tell him I said that…"

"Hmm… what other things can you tell me from Hudson's… story?" _do I tell him about the Citadel attack?_

"_Is that even a question?"_

"_Hell no!"_ I have a chance to save countless lives here, and I'm not about to let it go to waste here;

"Yes sir councilor… there is… something actually. I am not sure what can be done about it, but you are on the Citadel, and have much better overview over the forces of the Citadel fleet and ground forces…" _God that sounded retarded…_"And there is one thing you must know. Saren, along with the Reaper he uses as flagship, will attack the Citadel. I am not sure when, but it will be within the next ten months. They will launch a full scale armada against the fleets of the Citadel, but there is another place where they will come from" _God bless you guy who made the "Battle of the Citadel" vids on YouTube;_" The relay monument on the Presidium is an actual working relay… it was built by the Protheans as a one-way gateway to the Citadel from a planet far far away. just be sure to start having forces deployed there when we give the signal. I don't think Saren will attack within at least the next two months though. So you have time to organize some sort of defense for whatever comes through there." I swear, he looks like I told him I'm his mother, because the Salarian just stares at me for almost a minute. I guess all this is a lot to take in… but at least now I've told him, and he can use the info as he wants. It's out of my hands;

"This is... considering the meeting on the Citadel will prove you are telling me the truth, we will begin the preparations at once… Thomas Fisher… you may just have saved countless lives, you realize that?"

"Yes sir, just doing my job."

"Well… Well then, come see me when you dock at the Citadel next time, and we can get this little hearing over with. For what its worth though… I give you my thanks, Fisher." And he disappears. _Wow, that went much better than expected! I can't honestly believe I pulled that off! _I mean, the council wrote Shep and the Reapers off as imaginary in the second game, but now… The Salarian councilor is close to believing me. Damn, can this day get any better?

"_There are ways…"_

"_I don't need to hear that thought to an end…"_

"_Alright, but there is something you should know, when done speaking with John'Shepard… I do believe he is waiting for you actually…"_

"_Oh… thanks."_

"_I aim to plea-"_

"_Would you stop saying that?"_

"_Well… alright…"_

"_Thank you… thank you…"_

"Thomas, I've got to say… that was good. I mean, I expected him to refuse like at the meeting, but this Salarian seems to have a good head." John says.

"Of course he does. Valern was a member of the STG once, and they don't keep idiots around. That is also the reason I contacted him only, and not Tevos or Sparatus. You may find it strange that I chose not to include the councilor of my own race, but he is a conservative… something I've never liked much. He doesn't believe humans have much to offer. But like I told Commander Dawson… before he was killed, I don't care if you are human… or even Quarian. You get the job done, I'm on your side."

"Thanks Nihlus… I must admit I never expected praise from you… from John perhaps, but you hardly know me… haven't even fought with me… yet…"

"I like that "yet". It does look like we have many missions ahead of us, and I'll be keeping a close eye on the two of you, as well as the rest of the ground crew, to see if there should be any candidates for the Spectres." Seeing the looks in my eyes, and the way John is standing, completely taken aback, Nihlus continues;

"You may be new here Fisher, but you show potential. Your willingness to sacrifice yourself for Williams on Eden Prime was, I heard, instant. Your courage in battle also shows some promise. And I know the council said the Quarians were not ready for the Spectres Shepard, but you keep doing what you do, and I might be able to change their minds." _Wow… did I ever state how awesome Nihlus is?_

"_No, until recently you found him annoy-"_

"_Well, he is awesome!"_

"_No arguments here…"_

Nihlus then looks at both of us, and sighs. It's been a long day for him as well. Even though he didn't have to fight a horde of Aliens. He gives us both a nod, and leaves the room. John turns at me again, stretching and yawning;

"Keelah, I'm tired. I think we've been at it for almost twenty hours… we deserve some sleep…"

"Yeah I agree with you there… but wait a sec." he looks at me in what I guess is wonder, before something clicks in him;

"Ahh… gotta consult the voice first?"

"Yeah, he mentioned something important, before we left the room."

"_Alright, what is it you wanted to tell me?"_

"_I may not be able to feel people I do not know, but there is a third presence in the room, one that I do recognize. And so do you, if you think about it…" now what did he mean by… ahh.._

"Wait a sec John… Alright, Kasumi, you can come out now…" John looks at me like I've gone crazy. I can actually see what I guess is an eyebrow being raised behind the visor;

"Who are you talking to?"

"Me… but how did you know I was here? No one else seemed to notice…" the sudden appearance of the Japanese thief makes John almost hit the ceiling with shock.

"Who the Hell is that!?" He shouts and points his three-fingered hand at Kasumi;

"Hey, take it easy… sorry for bumping out like that, but scaring people is such a simple way of having fun."

"Easy John, she's a friend. Allow me to introduce you to Kasumi Goto, best thief in the galaxy."

"So... Goto… she's the one with the code?"

"I'm standing right here you know, and yes, Hudson gave me the code to travel between the dimensions. It does require that the location I do it from isn't moving, else I might get ripped apart to the molecules… not really what I intend on spending my day with, if you know what I mean…"

"Sure… sorry, this is all very new to me and… wait, Thomas, how did you know she was here?"

"Call it a qualified guess"

"Oh no, last time you said that I ended up arguing with Keji. He wouldn't sell the info to the alliance, but I talked him over. I have a way around that man." She says, her hand on her hip and a confident smile on what of the face I can see.

"Sorry, some things I _do_ keep secret. Even from you miss Goto."

"Awww, that's cute… maybe I won't spy next time you're alone with Ashley…" and she's gone with a childish laughter.

"Dammit Kasumi! I have a thing called privacy! Even _he_ respects it!" I sneer and point to my head. Tha door opens, and the laughter disappears out of it.

"So…. How long has she been onboard?" John asks.

"No idea, she just showed up right before the mission on Therum and told me all about her new job. And no; she's not going to be stealing on board the ship. I think she called it "no sport"… because it's too easy, and she doesn't steal money or something like that… she goes for rare stuff and tech.

"You seem to know quite a bit about her… all from that first meeting?"

"Well, no. she was one of the characters in the… game."

"So… to change the subject, what is this "job" she's got?" John asks. Oh, I was hoping he would ask;

"To put is simply, she will get pretty much anything that isn't nailed to welded to the floor for us. Even in other dimensions."

"So… have you given her a mission yet?" _Mission… me giving people missions… man, that sounds weird…_

"No… not yet, but I do have some ideas for schematics she could get us…"

"(Yaaawn)…. Such as?" John asks, his voice heavy with tiredness. _Man, I'm feeling like hitting the mattress myself, but gotta wrap this up….yawn… first…_

"The new corporal, Tequila. The gunship she flew in, before she ended up here. it was called the _Typhoon_ and it packed one hell of a punch. Also, it's much more agile than, and almost as fast as the Normandy when talking transport and air support. Something I feel we might need later."

"Alright, she can stay… we can continue this tomorrow… or whenever the hell we get up… I don't even know what time… Keelah, it's past midnight, ship time…. Man, we need our sleep. Let's get some right now."

"Okay, I can agree with that… but John?"

"Yeah?"

"I was…. was thinking… do you sleep in the captain's quarters?"

"No, (yawn).. I don't. We Quarians don't like big open rooms for sleeping. It might be a side effect of living on ships for the past 300 years, but I sleep in the crew quarters… why?"

"I was just thinking, that… and don't get this the wrong way, it's you I follow, and other people are secondary, but how about letting Jane have it?" He stops on the stairs so abruptly that I walk into him;

"Give _her_ the captain's cabin? But officially, she doesn't even work on the ship yet, let alone is she an officer…"

"Well, it was just a thought. Just hear me out. Either she or Wrex gets the captain's cabin, because I'm afraid of what his snoring might do to me…"

"On a second thought, maybe giving it to Jane is a good idea…"

"Oh, I (Yawn) thought you didn't like it?"

"Naah, but Wrex will just crush the bed in there…" He then enters the elevator and we ride it to deck 3.

"So, you'll let Jane have it?

"Yeah, also based on what I've heard about her and Ash's relationship, it might be wise to keep them from one another… at least for now…"

"Thanks John… where are you going?" I notice John is staying in the elevator;

"I'm gonna go pick up Tali from her shift, then I think we'll go to bed as well.

"Oh… well, goodnight then." I say, and as the elevator continues downwards, I stumble into the dark crew quarters where snoring already sounds from Tequila's bunk. Nic is out of bed, so I'm guessing he's taking a… I mean, that he is visiting nature… I head to my bunk and get off all but my underwear and throw myself on the bed._ Reminds me, I've gotta buy some new clothes next time I get the chance… perhaps I should just…. check…. With that…. guy… in the hanga-"_And I drift off…

I am in a very large room. Actually, it's not just a room; it's the grand concert hall of the musical theater in Aarhus. There are about 500 people in here; many have worn long coats which are now splayed over the seats as an extra layer of soft material. The carpet is still down at the scene and…_weird, I wasn't aware that this place had a carpet._ I can see that this hall is filled to the brim, all seats taken, and some people are even sitting on the stairs. I can hear the occasional instrument being tuned in, a drum being hit on, and then tightened, a violin being played, then strung as well. I look around me, and when I look to my right, I see my parents sitting there. Both of them have taken off their coats, and like the rest of the people in here, used them as an extra layer of cushioning. _My parents… so… it was all… just a dream?_ I mean, I can see them, I can hear them. I place my hand on my dad's shoulder, and I feel it. _So… I never died? I never went to Mass Effect and met Tali and Quarian Shepard and Nicolai… and Ash?_

I don't know if I why I'm not happy. I'm alive in my own world and my parents aren't dead. _Who am I kidding, I'm sad because I fell in love in a dream, and the woman of my dreams never existed_. My dad respond to the hand, and looks at me;

"Well Thomas, I hope you had a good nap. I was just about to wake you up, but seems like you took care of that yourself." He chuckles. Funny, I rarely see him do that. I can't even remember getting here, then again, I often can't remember if I brushed my teeth, or locked the front door. Reminds me of that dream I just had. It _was_ so vivid though, as if it wasn't a dream, but a trance or something.

"Yeah, I had this crazy dream; I died and instead of going to Heaven, I was teleported into the Mass Effect universe where I met all the people from it and -"I stop myself when my father looks at me in a weird way.

"Thomas, you are over 20 years old… don't you think it's about time you stopped playing video games?"

"Well… yeah but I like it…" I try… _man; I've never had to defend my games from him before_. Then again, I've never been asleep in the concert hall. Speaking of which, the carpet has gone up. But… it's weird; there isn't any orchestra, just the scene. They've placed a lot of stuff there; trees, bushes, large square white buildings. Or, not buildings, but props and doodads too. But all the things on stage, they all seem so… familiar… I turn at my father;

"Dad, just what are we watching?"

"Well I'll be damned, YOU actually forgot? You chose this play. It's called "Welcome to the Family." It's about… well, pretty much what you just said I think; a boy from our world get's flung into the world of Mass Effect and meets all the characters. It also says here that it is romantically orientated. Just not in what way." _Okay… this is weird. Since when was Mass Effect send to the theaters? And what about the mu -._ As I think this, the telltale music from Mass Effect starts playing. It's that beautiful tune from the first game. And we see this guy, about my age it's supposed to be… I think. He's standing in a kitchen. It's remarkably familiar, and I realize that whoever this story is based on or created by, his kitchen is much the same fashion as mine. We watch him get in a car, and the screen behind him starts showing a moving background of trees. The carpet then goes down and some shuffling is heard from behind the carpet. The carpet goes back up, and the guy is still in the car. He then gets out of it, and pick up a rifle from the backseat. He also pick up what I guess is a tent. Either that or it's a weird jacket. He then proceeds through a lot of the artificial trees, and sets up his tent. When he's done that, he leaves the scene with his rifle. The light is then tempered, so that it appears to be evening. He gets in the tent, and starts sleeping. Well, not actually sleeping, he's an actor, so it's all just acting. But anyway, suddenly, the light is back, and the guy gets up. But where he put his rifle, behind the tent, he now pulls out a futuristic looking weapon. I guess this is where he has been flung into Mass Effect. Suddenly, there is a short period of sharp white light, and a silhouette is lowered from the top of the scene. He's dressed like the Grim Reaper, and he's wielding the scythe. He speaks;

"YOU ARE NO LONGER MORTAL!" The guy on the floor looks up with a scared look on his face, the mouth open with a silent scream._ He reminds me of someone from my dream…_

"Who are -? Are you saying I'm dead?" And this little conversation goes on for a while. Suddenly reminds me of the part in my dream where this voice spoke to me in the void. Strange. Then, the guy starts wandering with his new guns and the scene changes. He finds Ashley, and saves her from the geth. Then Shepard, a female Shepard comes to the rescue of those two;

"I never thought she would come in." A female voice to my left suddenly speaks up. "I mean, this time I'll see what happened in her version of our universe." I turn my head, very slowly. I almost start screaming._ Oh mother of Holy f**king shit! ASH! My love!_ Ash is sitting right beside me. I'm close to blacking out, but I just keep my stare fixated at her; she looks just like in the dream, besides the fact that she's now wearing normal clothes. I mean normal for my world. But… but…. This can't;

"What are- who did- what's going on?" I ask, I don't really know if I'm yelling or whispering, but no one else seems to notice.

"Thomas, are you alright?... don't tell me you didn't finish your English for tomorrow." _I…I what? My English? But… is Ash attending my school? Do I even have English as a class? How is she here? _

"Oh, now I see, this is all a dream, isn't it?" I ask her.

"A dream? No! What the hell are you talking about?" Ash says, her face filled with wonder and a bit of confusion. Suddenly, a red light fills the scene. It must be that part where the team sees Sovereign leave the colony… _but why are the actors jumping off the scene?_ A red light, like a laser, carves through the wall and obliterates a line of the audience that sat there. But no one's moving. There are no screams. _But then, why did the actors not scream and warn people to flee?_ I look down at them again, but they are no longer human! They are those husk-creatures from the games. They just start tearing through the humans seated in the first row, splitting them apart, biting and clawing at them. So… much… blood. Heads are being removed from their bodies, and there are still no screams. No one's trying to escape. People just… sit there. I turn from Ash to my parents, but they are gone. There is just a large smoking crater, the trail of destruction the laser carved through the audience. Suddenly, railroad tracks puff into existence where they were, and dismembered body parts starts raining from the ceiling. Then, the husks reach Ash, and I can't move. I can't shout or do anything. She just looks at me and smiles her warm loving smile as the creatures starts tearing her to pieces. The smile is still on her face when her head is torn off by the strong arms of the synthetic monsters. Then, all is dark.

Suddenly, I find myself in a dark room. A light is turned on, and I can see my parents tied to one chair, Nicolai to another and Ash to a third. All have a piece of cloth gagging them, leaving them to mumble and look around with scared eyes. A Korean man steps into the light. In his hand, a silenced gun is glinting. His eyes are hidden by a pair of sunglasses. As weird as it is, I notice that I've seen this guy before. It's that guy from Gangnam Style. Psy, I think his name is. He's just walking behind the three chairs. He opens the guns chamber, and loads a single bullet into it. He then looks at me;

"Well Mister Fisher. We seem to have reached an impasse. I have in this gun ONE bullet, and because I'm such a good guy, you get to decide, whose head it goes into…

_Shit!_

_Shit!_

_Shit!_

I look at my parents, their eyes now strangely calm. I look at my best friend, his eyes also filled with tranquility. And I look at Ash, the love of my life. Her eyes are filled with warmth, as she smiles at me, even through the cloth.

"_Thomas… it is okay. I love you and nothing will ever change that. know that I realize you did what you could, and that I accept every weird thing about you… I love you Thomas, and I have done so since seeing you for the first time… an now, you won't have to choose…" _Her voice sounds through my head, like her thoughts become mine, only with her voice to them.

Then, seeing as I will not choose one to die, Psy simply pulls the trigger, but he doesn't aim it anywhere. And still, the heads of all four people gets a small red dot on their forehead, and blood starts seeping out.

"NOOOOOOO!"

"NOOOOOO!"

"NOOOO!"

A pair of arms starts grapping me, their ugly claws piercing my skin. They are the arms of a Xenomorph, the blackness in them, the evil... makes me sick.

"_Thomas?"_

A face emerges from the shadows; John's laughing face, without the helmet. He's got a set of mandibles, but more like those of a spider. He laughs, evilly. Then he becomes Saren, the Turian smiles as he kicks Ash corpse, now lying on Virmire.

"_Thomas?"_

Now, Saren has become a monster, eyes on stalks and fangs barred. He looks back at me, and we are back in the room. His face hovers above my dead friends and family. Above the head of the woman of my life, above my best friend, above my mother and fathers heads.

"Thomas"

"Thomas!"

"Thomas! Snap the fuck out of it!" that voice… it's strangely familiar. The arms have now changed. They are human arms;

"That's not working, let me!"

Suddenly, a series of sharp bolts of pain hits me.

"Snap out of it Thomas! That's a fucking order!"

I am in the crew quarters, the room is lit up, and all the people sleeping in there are out of their beds, standing above my head as Ash and Nicolai breathe out. _They are relived… why are they relieved? I just watched my family di - Oh God;_

"Bath -Bathroom!" I manage to stutter, while holding my stomach and mouth.

"That way!" some guy yells and point towards a door on my right. The crowd quickly scatters, and I rush out into the bathroom. I haven't even reached the toilet before the first gulps emerge, and I puke into my own hands, acid smelling like… well, puke. When I reach the toilets, I just grab the sides, and give myself in. I lose my only real meal since fleeing Eden Prime, over thirty hours ago. After having thrown everything up, I just remain with my head inside the porcelain bowl.

"All right people, shows over! Go back to bed" I hear Ash's voice somewhere behind me, but right now, I just don't care. I hate my life. Snot and tears mix with the puke that's smeared all around my face, and now my nose burns as well._ Figures. _

"_I am sorry, but I could not wake you up. I tried but -" _

"_Right now… just shut up okay? I don't wanna hear it."_

Nicolai kneels beside me, and seeing as nothing more comes up, he lifts me to my feet. He then guides me to the showers and, after having closed the door, takes of everything but my underpants and pushes me under the shower. He then turns it on, a hot rain of water following. I blow my nose, trying to get the last of the acid of there. I am somewhat rewarded with a piece of rice from dinner. I turn towards him;

"What happened?" I ask, my voice trembling with a mix of shock and some fear. A nightmare like that… it's not something you just rise from.

"We don't know, but about fifteen minutes ago, you woke everybody up by starting to scream and pretty much go into a seizure. We tried calming you down, but you just kept on yelling and screaming… then, Ash tried grapping you and shaking you, tried comforting you, and finally slapping you to wake you up and well, you woke up… you wanna talk about it?"

"No… yes… I don't… I was… I was back on Earth. _Our_ Earth. I was in the musical theater, with my parents. It was so real, I thought all this" I gesture around me "had just been a dream. I then saw a play, can't remember the name, but it was about much the same as I have done. The guy in it was flung from there to here by a materialized Grim Reaper. He then met Ash and the others, along with a Jane, only she was blond there. But then, all those things started happening, and my parents were killed by a laser beam, and Ash was torn apart in front of me. Then, the scene changed into a dark room. You, Ash and my parents were all tied to chairs, and this guy, Psy from Gangnam Style, he walked behind you with a gun, saying I had to choose which one of you should die. And you and my parents were so calm, and Ash was sending me messages with her mind, how much she loved me, how she accepted me, how she was glad that I now wouldn't have to choose… between her and Kaidan I guess… then, he just shot all of you."

"Fuuuuuck….that… was…" Is all Nicolai can say. For now, however, I don't care about anything. I just want to enjoy this warm shower, and try to forget the nightmare my brain just put me through. Someone knocks on the door to the bathroom, and Nicolai turns around.

"It's me… is he alright?" Ash asks through the door. Nicolai then looks at me. I nod.

"Yeah, he's… just had a really bad dream… I'm sure he'll tell you about it later. _He's right though, a bad dream, that's all it was… but how come I haven't experienced anything like this before? I mean, I have been here for long enough for seizures and such to hit me, and then it starts now?_

"_I have a theory that it is only when sleeping your mind is open enough for such things to happen…"_

"_Is there no way to prevent this shit? I don't want to sound like a child, you know, being afraid of nightmares, but I wouldn't be able to stand this shit more than one night before going over the edge, not being able to sleep…"_

"_Don't worry… this time you had the full blow because your mind was open, but next time you go to sleep, I'll make sure this doesn't happen again… it really was scary…"_

"_You don't say… but… thanks. It would be great if you could do that…"_

"_Don't mention it…"_

After having stood in the shower for a quarter of an hour, I feel like a human being again. My body is warm, but my underpants are soaked. As if he knew what I was thinking, Nic hands me a dry pair;

"… Are these yours?"

"What? No way man, when I sent the ensign out for supplies, I sent another one for clothes for all of us… or, really just the two of us, seeing as we're the only ones with outdated wardrobes." He says with a chuckle.

"Thanks man…" I dry up and put on the new clothes. Nic waits till I'm naked, then fakes a knock on the door, and whispers for only me to hear;

"Oh Aaaash! You can come in now!" he says in a mock tone.

"Fuck you man!" I say, my lips starting to form a smile. _Does he always knows just how to help? _

I get dressed; putting on the rest of my own clothes, then proceed to the sink and down my own weight in pure, delicious H2O. There is just something about having your mouth and nostrils filled with acid from the stomach that makes water taste so great.

"You know Thomas, you may have to see someone about this… too bad Kelly won't be with us till after two years… I think she would be good to have right now…" he says this in a mock tone, but there is also some seriousness in his voice. I shake on the head;

"No… right now, you and Ash are all the shrink I need. Besides, I've asked _him_ to wake me up or stop those dreams again before escalating like that…"

"Well, okay… but just… never mind. Tell you what, next time we dock at the Citadel, we get you loads and loads of tea. How'd you like that?"

"That would be great, only I also have to meet up with the Salarian councilor next time we're there…"

"Huh… what for?"

"It's the voice and "I-know-everything" stuff. He apparently isn't writing me off as the two others would."

"Well that's fucking great mate! We've got a councilor on our side."

"Not yet…"

"Okay, we are going to have him on or side. Sounds better mister pessimist?"

"Hey, are you guys going to come out here, or do I have to kick in the door to save my boyfriend?" Ash asks from the other side… of the door. Not the other spiritual side…_Wait a sec; "Boyfriend!"She called me her boyfriend!_

"_Didn't you kiss?"_

"_Well, yeah… but I never hoped to hear those words from her about me…"_

"_I guess something good came out of tonight, eh?"_

"_You could say that."_ Nicolai turns at me with a grin on his face;

"You know Chief, that might just be necessary; I'm holding him hostage in here with a piece of soap as my weapon!"

"Alright, get out here you two dick-heads!" Ash shouts, her voice mixed with laughter. _God, that's the best remedy for nightmares._ Nic opens the door, letting me exit first. When I pass him, he says;

"Ladies first." I then punch him on the arm.

"Ow, and here I was being such a gentleman!"

"Go fuck yourself ye bastard." I sneer in a mocking voice.

"Can't do, I'm taken…" at this, I stop dead in my tracks. _What? Taken? He's only been aboard for twenty bloody hours! How in the name of Mara could he have met someone in… Oooohh…._

"_What? What is he saying, who is it?" _the voice asks, his… voice brimming with excitement._ Speaking of… I really should find him a name…_calling him "the voice" does get awkward at some points. I narrow my eyes and stare at Nic;

"You're sweet on the corpo-"He then presses a hand over my mouth;

"Sssssccchhhhh! She could hear you, you bloody idiot!" He hushes me, and finally letting my mouth go.

"Ha! Now I've got the screws on you Amigo!"

"Meaning what, exactly?" he crosses his arms.

"Meaning, that if you screw up the food, I spill the beans to Tequila."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh, I wonder how fast I can find her in the crowd right now."

"Okay, Okay… sorry… now, can we please get out there and NOT talk about this again?"

"Roger that."

I open the door and find Ash standing on the opposite side. A knowing smile on her lips. _Ha! She heard it! Slid your way out of that one my friend!_

"Now, can we please get back to bed? It's bloody two in the morning, and I would like some more sleep before we have to get up." She says, steering away from what could have been a very awkward conversation.

"Yes ma'am." I say, a smile on my lips. She returns it, and it makes me heat up inside. Then proceed to hit the bunk, but this time it takes me a while to fall asleep.

Normandy mess hall. 09:26 (Ship time)

I sit at the table, in pretty much the same spot as I did when Garrus and Ash were sitting there as well. We've just given the ground team their second jump-scare, namely revealing the presence of Jane Shepard. Hell, we really didn't have much of a choice; after Nihlus caught her awake, he started questioning her. She may have been telling lies of omission, but the guy is a specter for Christ's sake. Being able to tell liars from regulars is part of the job… I think. Anyway, he made some inquiries with me, seeing as John was… otherwise occupied in the engine room with Tali as the sole other occupant… _crap, now I get the images again…_

"_Want me to remove them?"_

"_Yes please…"_

"_Done"_

"_Oh… what did you do?"_

"…_.Nothing…."_

"_Oh… okay…."_

I told Nihlus what I could afford without him going nuts; that she is from another dimension as well, and that she is familiar with the crew. He then proceeded to call out whether this was a warship, or some kind of bus-stop for dimensional travelers. _Didn't realize he had humor._ Couldn't very well tell him that there are now two Shepards on the Ship… at least not until ten minutes ago, when Nihlus came around John and asked him about her... but the reaction was better from our other Turian member; Damn, if Garrus didn't drop his jaw when he saw her. I guess I should have said that it's possible she's not available, but why spoil it for the guy. Let him have his fun finding out for himself. The rest took it pretty easy, apparently they are becoming used to having weird things happen around them. I look down between my hands, to the bowl of cereal in front of me. Eating muesli almost feels like home. Even though the milk _is_ synthetic here… I mean, how would real milk last this long, even with these days tech?

Ash is seated next to me, and when she's done eating her bowl, she leans against me, her head on my shoulders. _I still can't believe how lucky I am._ I guess to anyone looking, I would look like someone lit a light bulb inside my head, because I must be beaming right now. All of this, if you forget the dream, is just so perfect that it easily makes up for the fact that we're on our way to someplace called Feros… and the first place where I have no idea whatsoever about what will happen. I do remember Tali mentioning "tearing into the Thorian on Feros" in ME2, but… I am not going to voice those thoughts. It might do more damage than it would help. What if this Thorian is a contract, or a tree blocking the road? Ash's sigh brings me back to the real world, and I let a hand run over her hair, feeling its softness. She smiles. And I continue to let my hand run through her hair. It smells like shampoo. Funny, I've never paid this much attention to any girl… or woman before. They were just people like me… but Ash. She is a goddess. The smell of her hair, the brown in her eyes, and the smile on her lips… they are part of what keeps me going. That and what she called me last night, while I was losing my dinner to the WC. _Boyfriend…. Boyfriend…. I've never been called that before…_

"Hey Thomas, wanna know what I think of this so-called emergency on Feros?" Nic asks, joining us on the opposite side of the table;

"A penny for your thoughts… let me hear it."

"Well, based on what I know, they are most likely being attacked by geth, but there must be something else. It's never that simple with the Normandy or Shepard for that matter…"

"Are you expecting a dragon to attack us? Or a zombie apocalypse?" I ask, mock in my tone and a sly smile on my face. Ash has gotten up, seeing as we aren't alone anymore. We weren't before either, but then we were the only ones at the table.

"Nah, but mark my words, something will be messed up on this planet… how far is it by the way?" he asks, looking at me as much as Ash.

"Don't know, but I think John said something about one day, possibly a bit more… plenty of time to get some training, or get in better shape." Ash says, then looks at me; "And plenty of time for another asskicking."

"Hey come on, I thought you were past wanting to beat my ass."

"Look at it as a way of keeping you on your toes, and alive." She answers, her voice holding both seriousness and a bit of playfulness.

"Well, I've already prepared lunch, so I'll be down there as well… to make sure you won't end up in a situation and someone walks in on y-"Ash gives him a hard punch to the shoulder, and he winces, rubbing his arm;

"Ow! Chief, what was that for?"

"Discussing stuff that doesn't concern the rest of the entire ship? Could that be the reason?" she says, once again her voice is half serious, half playful. Though not in the same way as with me. It's… hard to explain the difference, but its there.

"Fair enough… I'll keep quiet… just don't hit me again… its gonna be fun watching the two of you smacking each other though."

"You know, you're welcome to join. Always room for one more" she says in her mocking tone.

"Eehhhrrr… no thanks… me and Tequila are gonna see who can last longest on the weights… so, I'll just be a spectator here…" I get my best grin out;

"Oh yeah, that's right… you and the corporal has got a date…" this earns me a punch from him in return. I just laugh. Mocking him with his girlfriends always were one of the best things I knew back then. This time, the girl is just the tougher one… for once.

"Can it, will ya?"

"Wow Tengberg, I never would have guessed!" Ash exclaims. Her face lit in a sly smile. _She's caught on to it as well: clever girl…_

"Guessed what? There is nothing to guess."

"Then how come you stared at her like that outside the med-bay?"

"Oh… fuckberries…. I did?"

"Yeah, it was quite obvious that you were eyeing her" I say, almost unable to control a chuckle.

"How did you really know? I mean, if it was obvious, John would have said something… or she would have commented on it as well…. Right?"

"How I knew? Might be that you told me on the bathroom."

"Wh- Oh fuck… it was… I only meant it as a joke, you know!" his face is starting to become red with embarrassment now.

"Oh God this is glorious!" I exclaim.

"Will you two _please_ shut the hell up? She could hear you!"

"Oh, so there is some truth to it?"

"Oh for the love of… just _shut up_!" I then notice the said corporal making her way to our table, and I turn back to Nicolai;

"Oh, there she is!" I then poke Ash on the shoulder and point towards the elevator; "Well, we should leave the two of you alone. Come join us in the gym when you are "done"… got ya!" I smile, and Ash and I head for the elevator. Nicolai doesn't get to say anything before Tequila sits down at the same table. _Good luck mate. With her, you're gonna need it._ Once inside the elevator, Ash erupts in laughter, and I quickly follow. I really couldn't keep it back for much longer. Once I have the air to speak again, I look at the woman next to me;

"Oh, I'm almost feeling bad after leaving him like that!" I continue to chuckle, my breath only returning in short gasps.

"Hell no! that fool deserved it! After playing chaperone like that."

"Would he by any chance have a point?" I say, making my tone as playful as possible.

"Hey watch it Rookie, you're not on that level yet… just so you know."

"Oh, but you say "yet" does that-" she really likes punching people when they cross some kind of line.

"How about you restrict you speech to "ow's" and "auch'es" when I beat you up?"

"Do you really have to do that? I'm still kinda sore on my butt from the other day…"

"Then I'll just kick on the opposite side of the butt"

"On second thought, my butt is completely fine…"

"I thought so." She says with her cocky smile and voice. As we exit the elevator, we find that we're not the only ones down here. which would be rather surprising, considering the size of the crew. Garrus and Wrex are both in here as well.

Wrex is breaking the scores it seems, pumping every single weight there is onto one bar. It almost looks like he could go through the floor, but he actually lifts the bloody thing. Seeing as he has a load on the bar bigger than my body… I'd say he pumping at least three-hundred kilos. Even for a Krogan that's pretty damned impressive. _Alright, one thing I might challenge him in, is weightlifting; I'd be sure to lose here. but, then he would lose respect for me for losing… this is difficult…_

Garrus is busy on a bench, using his arms to pull down the handles connected to the other side of the contraption. He looks like he's running on all but two of the weights. _Damned, why are all the E.T's on this ship so pumped?_ He looks like he's noticed us, because he looks up and nods;

"Hey you two, down here for some lifting too?" I shake my head;

"Nah, I'm here to get my ass kicked… wanna watch?" his mandibles come apart in what I assume is a Turian smile;

"Are you kidding me? I've wanted to see you taken down a notch since you beat my discussion with Shepard. I wouldn't miss this for the world." _Great, that's what I thought._ Better not ask Wrex though, he might want to join. Ash moves on to the mats and takes of her shoes. We still just wrestle in our normal clothes I guess, but now I've got some spare clothes as well. This means I won't have to walk around in smelly sweaty clothes all day. _Yay for me… now to get a sore ass…_ Wearing her normal clothes, minus the uniforms outer layer, the one with the ranks stitched on, Ash is tripping on the mat, beckoning me with an open palm. _I know I'm gonna be sore as hell in less than one minute… but somehow, I'm okay with that. _

"Alright Rookie, shall we test our mettle?" _Okay, that sounded a little strange coming from her, but what the Hell…_

"I accept thy challenge, oh superior in rank." _This is not half-boring actually._

"You shall make a worthy opponent." She says and with that she goes for it. Her form's movement almost hypnotizes me, and I don't get out of the way before I'm on the mat with a sore forehead.

"HA!" I can tell Garrus is enjoying the show.

"Alright Chief, that was just to let you build up your confidence. Now, have a taste of my fist!"

I crab around her, focusing on any sudden movements. She moves for my foot, just like the first time, but this time, I know what she has got in mind for me. As she kick after my legs, trying to snap them from beneath me, I move the leg she isn't focusing on and pushes her own up and around. She lands on the mat with a heavy bump.

"Told you I would get-" I don't get to say much else before she grabs me with both her legs and hurls me through the air. I land beside her with an even heavier bump;

"Seriously Ash, you've _got_ to teach me how to do that!"

"Let's make a deal, you win the next one, and I will. If not… well, there is always next time, right?"

"Oh you _Banshee_!" I say, putting up my fist in a fake mockery.

"Well come on then, you wanna learn, you've got to fight better than that."

"Hey no fair, I got you!" Even while I'm speaking, she throws herself at me, getting an arm around my chest and attempting to drag me down. _Oh no you don't…_ while I'm nowhere as technically good as her, with her stances and weird moves, at least I'm stronger than her… or, actually, I just think I weigh more. The point is, here the techniques won't work as she's got no-

_**BAM!**_And I'm on the floor again. _What the hell?_

We continue like this for about half an hour, me winning about one in seven matches. She ends our fight by grapping my arm and yanking me off my feet using some kind of martial art move. One second I'm solid on the ground, the next, I'm flying over her shoulders before being reunited with the mat. Normally, I'm a terrible loser, and I'm just about to make some bad or stupid move when I look at her. Do you know the rumor about a hunter looking the deer in the eyes, and not being able to shoot?

"_Who me?"_

"_Hm... what?"_

"_Were you asking me about the hunter thing?"_

"_Eehhhrrr… yeah, it was you I was asking…"_

"_That's illogical, I'm your memory, and therefore I know all you do…"_

"_Yeah… right…."_

_God that was awkward…_

"Hey Thomas… sorry about that last one… does it hurt?" actually, it hurts like the Devil is raping me with a spiked club.

"Nah, not that much. I'm a little sore, but it's nothing big…" Inside, I'm screaming in pain. My entire left thigh feels like someone's holding it over a campfire. _That was one mean ride she gave me there…_ but I keep up the happy face. I can scream in pain later. I just give her my best smile, but I can feel it's being ruined by the burning feeling from my face when it kissed the mat last time. I bet I have a huge red mark across the face.

"Ha! Yeah amigo, she kicked your ass there!" Nicolai's voice comes from the weights. During the fight I didn't even notice him and Tequila entering. They are both using the weights Wrex used earlier, and I'm not surprised to see the corporal lift two or three more weights than him. I mean, he's buff, but she's a goddamn marine for Talos' sake. I would have been really surprised if he could keep up with her. Still, even what Nic lifts is more than I can by far. I tried one of his hand weights once, those he used as a normal training. I couldn't even do three of them, but he lifted them like they weighed only 500 grams. His short dark-brown hair is standing straight up, probably because he's dried his forehead from sweat. Tequila doesn't look that much better, her usual ponytail having fallen down over her face, and her eyes constantly blinking because of the sweat running from _her_ forehead. Yet, she keeps going, and since I know Nic, he's not about to back down to her. Even though I can practically see how hard it is for him. Like all ones muscles are screaming for mercy. Both are now breathing hard, and I really can't make out who's having the harder time here; me, or him.

A little later, after I step out of the shower room on the same deck, I notice that my Omni-tool, which I of course didn't bring to the shower, is beeping. _Huh… that's… odd. _Seeing as we shouldn't reach Feros till late tomorrow, there shouldn't be any briefings already. I pick it up and strap it to my arm again. I then check to see if someone left a message, and as I thought, there is one. From Nic. No surprise there. After Ash had kicked my ass, he told me about a little bet he had with Tequila. If he could last longer than her, he was taking her to the movies, and she had to like it. _I bet it's him saying he lost, and now the corporal is cashing in her victory; fifty pushups. Amigo… when the hell do you learn not to challenge big badass women? Alright, let's see how he justifies his defeat… wait, what?_ In the message, Nicolai has typed;

"_Hey dumbass, told you I could beat her in this crap! Next time we're on the Citadel, I'm taking the Corporal out. Lol, I got a date before you, and you had the head start._

_Even here I'm better with the girls than you are. Ahh, I'm just pissing ye off; You've got Ash, and she's not a bad girl… or I don't know if she is, but that's not really my business, is it?_

_Nic."_

"Oh that mother-"I say. He fucking beat Tequila! I didn't think anyone could. I mean, did you see the weights she was lifting?

"_Me?"_

"_Yeah… I am talking to you when I'm just thinking to myself._

"_Oh… should I read your mind to find out if that's true?"_

"_Don't go there…. I'm warning you."_

"_I am an eternal being, capable of sending people across the dimensional walls and bringing people back from the dead. What could you possibly do to harm me?"_

"_II could check if a site called "Spacedicks" still exists…"_ I always found that site the most disgusting thing created by mankind, next after Nicki Minaj, but here it might work.

"_GODFORBID NO! IT TOOK ME HOURS TO CLEAN OUT THAT PART OF YOUR MEMORY, AND IT WAS ONLY FIVE MINUTES!" _Yeah, one of my classmates had shown me the site, and curious as I am, I stayed long enough to see him open a random movie called "two girls, one cup"…. I spent the next fifteen minutes on the toilet throwing up. That wasn't the best day in High-school…

"_So… we've got a deal then?"_

"_YES, yes, I'll leave your mind alone… for now…"_

"_What was that?"_

"_Nothing… nothing…"_

Man, did I just win an argument with a divine being? Damn right I did! Bow Chika wow wow! _Oh for… where did that come from?_

"Jesus… now what to do?" I have actually reached the point in time where I am on the Normandy… and I have nothing to do. I look at the laptop positioned next to me, left there as I went for breakfast some time ago. _Wasn't there something I should check out when I had the time?_

"_That is correct, you made a mental note that you would check up on several scientific breakthroughs being made in your own time and dimension."_

"_Oh… yes, thanks."_

I sit down and open, I guess, the laptop. I still have to get used to these things not actually having a plasma or plastic screen, but a holographic one. _Oookay… Google… Skylon… hmm, Wikipedia still exists… okay… Wow…_ As I read through the history of the Skylon project, I stumble upon one detail that almost makes me piss myself in a mix of happiness and shock; "_**Skylon: In the early twenty-first century, human scientists from the Governments department of spaceflight, NASA, started developing a prototype spacecraft. The "Skylon" was meant to be the new kind of cargo-vessel between Earth and the ISS( the International Space Station). However, with the first successful flights of the new jet-propelled spaceship, it became apparent that interest had skyrocketed along with it. Multiple space agencies, such as the ESA and UK Space, ordered the schematics for their countries and developing as well. In return, the ESA offered their expertise in jet-science, bringing invaluable research into the project. In 2018, the first manned version of the Skylon was completed, and the astronauts were now being transported to the ISS by Skylon. Later, in 2027, the Skylon, and it's evolved sibling, the ATLAS, helped bring material and crew to the moon for the construction of the Neil Armstrong Lunar Base (NALB). From here, missions with drones were being prepared and launched with much less cost due to the low gravity of the moon. After five years, in 2032, more than 29 drones and probes had been launched from NALB, most heading for Mars. In 2041, the need for protection against asteroids became obvious, as the SSV Hamlington, a cutting edge Skylon spacecraft was severely damaged by an asteroid. NASA now began evolving a new type of megawatt laser to be outfitted on the Skylon Spacecrafts, along with improvements to the hull integrity on the ship. Having discovered the use for HE-3 in 2019, the Skylon now ran on cold-fusion, and more space was freed up from the use of HE-3 in the reactors, instead of the chemical reaction of regular socket fuel. This meant that crew could now begin making themselves more comfortable onboard the ship.**_" _Cool, but this almost looks like… oh, there is more__**…" in 2081, after having established the first manned research-outpost on Mars, humanity began the second settling of a planet in human history. While this was nowhere near the cities former scientist and researchers had hoped for, the stations were quickly followed in 2103 by the first real settlement, Lowell City. a facility began construction of new types of Skylon and Skylon II-type spacecrafts, the second version evolved with a stronger lighter hull, and two onboard lasers for the destruction and mining of asteroids. On board the S-II, there also were facilities for refining the material brought back from asteroids in space. As predicted, these huge boulders held vast amounts of raw materials, such as iron, gold and ice. Most were taken to the facilities on Mars where they were used in different scientific research programs, most of which are secret to this day. In 2148, a prospecting team lead by now famed and deceased Mateus Silva, unearthed the Prothean ruins in the Deseado Crater. Having discovered the ruins, humanity now had evidence that they were not alone in the galaxy. Due to this, interest in space exploration once again skyrocketed, bring billions of dollars from sudden private investors to NASA and ESA. Having also discovered a new element that seemingly defied all know science about the natural elements, scientists dubbed this new wonder Element Zero, given its complete lack of protons. In normal science, this would declare the element non-existent. However, the new element was found to have abilities few had dreamed of. One was to enable the use of FTL travel. The Skylon, being the most advanced spacecraft in humanities arsenal, was put back on the drawing board, and the Skylon-III was born from this. Complete with extra reinforced hull, and a drive core capable of accelerating the new space craft to unheard speeds, humanity reached 1 Light-year/week for the first time in history. This also made exploration of the rest of the Sol-system possible, and in 2148, humanity discovered that the moon of Pluto, Charon, was actually a massive piece of Alien technology, now known as the Mass Relays. Activating this relay in 2149, humanity jumped hundreds of light-years into outer space, starting the second age of space exploration. The Skylon-III, having served as an example of how the mass effect drives worked, was now being replaced by several new types of spaceships. The combination of the vast amounts of new raw materials and the discovery and use of element Zero, or Eezo, made it possible to construct starships the size of those in the old Star Wars movies. The discovery of the relays and the ruins, also made the leaders of the world realize the possibility of Alien civilizations, and the risk of them being hostile caused these new starships to be outfitted with the most cutting edge technology humanity was in possession of, including nuclear weapons, terawatt lasers and 200mm naval cannons. Along with hulls designed to survive the impact of a 20 kiloton bomb, humanity journeyed beyond the relays, now having amassed what would later be known as the "First Charon Fleet"**_. _Wow… just wow… so… all of this might just as well just have been in the future?_

"_Possibly… but you have not yet read it all…"_

"_**Upon expanding their territories, human explorers came across so-called garden worlds. These planets were placed in the famed "Goldilocks zone" being able to sustain life as known to humanity. Colonizing these worlds became the new weapons race of the twenty-second century. The sixth world, named Shanxi, after Fanpei Shanxi, the discoverer of the planet's breathable atmosphere, was later the only planet ever attacked and captured from humanity by alien forces. In 2157, the First Charon Fleet discovered the now infamous relay 314. When attempting to activate it, they were approached by the first extraterrestrials ever known to mankind; The Turians."**_ _Wow, this is heavy stuff… _"_**Upon seeing the fleet trying to activate the relay, the Turian fleet opened fire upon the First Charon Fleet, obliterating all but one ship. Having escaped the onslaught, Captain Marcus Fredian returned to the Acturus station, then only seventy-eight percent complete, and was debriefed about what had happened. Humanity was now at war. Following the siege and liberation of Shanxi, and the brokered peace made possible by the galactic council, the Skylon III was taken back into service and given some serious overhauls. In 2171, the Turian and Alliance governments began the further co-development of the Skylon-IV. Renamed the SR-1 project, the Skylon-IV, or SR-1 ship was now the most advanced starship in the known galaxy. Given command over the ship in 2178, Captain David Anderson named the new ship the" Normandy."**_

_**To this day, the Normandy is under the command of newly instated Quarian commander John'Shepard.**_"

I just sit there, completely speechless. The Skylon project, the project I had followed with amazement as a boy… had become the SR-1. _Mother of God….this is SO AWESOME!_ I feel the hair almost jumping off my skin, I'm _that_ exited over this. I mean, this is _almost_ like I saw the Normandy back in my own universe.

"_Well, this is certainly unexpected…"_

"_Unexpected? Unexpected?! This is the fucking most awesome news I've had for a long time!"_

"_What about the boyfriend-stuff?"_

"_Well of course that's better, this is just in another wa- wait a sec…how do you know about that? I thought you locked yourself out of Ash related thoughts?"_

"_Just because I don't spy into those thoughts, it doesn't mean I can control everything I hear, okay?"_

"_Okay, okay…"_

"_Now… your tool is beeping again…"_

"_Oh… it is." _And he's right, of course. I've got an incoming call from John.

"Buenas Dias, you've reached the time-travelers, would you like to order a travel?" Hell, he knows, so I might as well have some fun with it.

"Not now Thomas, report to the conference room, we've got an incoming transmission from the colony on Feros… Sounds like trouble."

"Alright Commander, I'm on my way." Well, I _was_ bored before… _now then; let's see what this is all about_. I get up from the bed and proceed to the elevator. I meet Ash inside, and we ride up in silence. Normally would chat, but I think we both sense something is wrong. As we enter the conference room, we find the rest of the ground crew in there, even Nicolai and Tequila. They haven't been made real members of the ground crew yet, but something tells me they will soon be needed anyway. John and Nihlus stop discussing something when we enter, turning their attention to us. John then turns on the screen, and a picture from a surveillance camera pops up. At first, everything looks quiet, people who I'm guessing are the colonist go about their business. John then changes the camera to the next day. The difference is stunning. All over the place are scorch marks, places where grenades have gone off, and the occasional body is lying on the ground. Then, a series of shots pass by the camera and the transmission cuts off.

"Well… this is not exactly what I was hoping for…" I say. I was aware something must be wrong on Feros… but this looked like all-out war. John turns towards Nicolai;

"Tengberg, make sure dinner is ready for tomorrow, 'because you won't have time to make it there… you're going in with us… and that serves for you as well, corporal Tequila… everyone but Thomas… dismissed." Well, that was unexpected… does Tequila even have armor yet? I mean, yeah she's got her M10 armor, but I don't know how well it'll stack against… whatever it the geth are firing at us... besides, her boots are still eroded by bug-acid… perhaps we have some down in the armory… wait a sec… if we have an armory… why the hell did I go all the way to Miller & McCarthy?... _God, I'm an idiot…_ well, at least that trip brought me around the Citadel, and I got some time with Ash.

"You've got it… Commander." Nicolai says. I guess he needs some time to remember that he only calls him John when off missions, or just in relax-time in general. Then, he does something that really surprises me; Nicolai salutes John… I mean Shepard. _I've got to keep track of this myself as well…_ He then leaves the room like the rest, leaving me alone with Shepard and Nihlus;

"So… why did you want me to stay Commander?"

"Since we all know that you have a fair share of… well, knowledge of this universe, what's going to happen and such… Do you know anything about what's going on at this colony?" Shepard says. I slowly shake my head;

"Sorry commander, but this place was never mentioned in… well, it was never mentioned in the short version that told the story of these years…"

"So… you don't know what awaits us on Feros?"

"Besides the geth? I'm pretty sure there are geth there, or they wouldn't have send a distress signal out, would they?" Nihlus sighs.

"Agreed, but I actually think it for the better that we do not have any expectations about what we find on Feros. Since, as you say Fisher, "Canon has been F**ked up" and in that case it's better to be alert for anything, rather than expect one specific thing to happen." I look at Nihlus, the Spectre's… brows? going into a deep frown.

"Well Nihlus, that was a piece of gold I never thought I would hear from you… always thought you were a "by-the-book-and-forget-everything-else" kind of guy…" John says.

"Well… I had a run-in with a Justicar once, and that taught me the value of being able to improvise…" _Wait, Justicar?_

"Let me guess; Samara?" I ask. Man, I love giving this guy those faces. He just stares at me like had I morphed into an Elcor right in front of him;

"Fisher… I don't think I'll ever get used to you knowing those things about people… but yes… Samara. She was by far the most honorable opponent I've ever had. And it was only her sense of honor that saved my life."

"Because you surrendered?" Shepard asks… why_ do_ I even call him Shepard, I mean, he said himself that I should call him John… screw that, I'm going with "John".

"No… because I gave her the choice between saving an innocent or capture me. By her code, she chose the innocent. She was a marvelous opponent."

"You respect her…" I say. Hell, I know Samara respects him for being able to outwit her, so why not the other way around?

"Yes… the fact that she stands for the innocents, capturing and killing who she views as the wicked and cruel… is something to admire. If only the Spectres had her…"

"Remember Nihlus, she may still want your ass on a plate, even though she actually respects you…" I say.

"How do you know… never mind, I am not really sure I want to know… but you said she respects me… why?"

"Because you were able to outsmart her… I think." _Funny, we went from discussing Feros to talking about memories…_

"Yes… but can we go back to discussing Feros?" John says. _I wonder if Quarians are mind-readers…_

"Sorry John… do we have some kind of plan for this?"

"Well, seeing as we will only face geth, I hope, our first objective will be to secure the survivors, along with the colony, then we scrap the rest of the synthetic bastards, and that should be it…"

"Hmm… pretty simple… I like that…" I say. As long as we don't run into more bugs…

"_You do realize that when people sya things like "At least now it can't get worse… it usually does…"_

"_So?"_

"_You've just issued something similar, stating that we won't encounter the Xenomorphs…"_

"_It doesn't work that way… I hope."_

We stand and look at each other for a moment, and I can sense the meeting is over;

"So… John if there is nothing else…."

"Right, dismissed… just be ready for anything tomorrow…"

"Hell commander, I'm ready for the next two years." I say, a small grin spreading across my face.

"Keelah… Thomas, have you heard of such a thing as situational awareness?"

"Sorry commander… but I'll head down in the mess hall if you don't need me."

"Right… just, try and keep the appearing of more cross-dimensional people on an all-time low… this whole "Jane-thing" still gives me headaches…"

"No promises there sir." I say, and head out the door. I want to check in with Nic, and then head down to the armory. I have a feeling I'm gonna need my guns tomorrow.

* * *

**Alright... how did you like that? **

**Personally, this chapter has by far been the most difficult to write, with keeping it all together. How did I do in the romance scene? Man, that part was difficult to get out right...**

**And a big Thank You! to Kaiya Smith. He/She really helped me through the councilor meeting in this chapter. What i had in mind turned out like cr*p.. can I say that here? Oh well, I curse a lot more in the story, so I guess I can... I mean, Fanfic hasn't banned me yet... I think :)**

**Alright people, let me hear your thoughts about this chapter, even if you hated it. I can take it, the critisism just helps me get better... even though it leaves a hole in my heart when i spot critisism... **

**Don't forget to review, and till next time... **


	10. Arrival at Feros

**Alright people, I (almost) apologize for the looong delay, but quite frankly, I blame the school. I have had to work my ass of these last weeks, so I have had precious little time for my story... Anyway, sorry about that.**

**Alright, as you might have guessed from the last chapter, shit will hit the fan on Feros... the place Thomas knows next to nothing about... **

* * *

**Arrival at Feros**

Feros is below us… and I can't even see the ground. The entire colony apparently consists of two gigantic towers… and well, there are more, if you count in the ones further off in the distance, but the ones we are going to are the two nearest each other. I must admit, I'm surprised as hell; I thought Feros would look kind of like another version of Therum, with the ground and being able to see the surface of the planet… instead of starring down into the clouds. _This is really weird…_ the two towers rise what I'm guessing must be kilometers above the ground, completely dwarfing any buildings I know of back on Earth. There is smoke coming out of several of the towers, the two closest included. Even though Kaidan told me that multiple of these towers were refineries, I'm having a feeling that the smoke is not meant to be here… and by that I mean caused by an explosion... or some destruction. The entire world is… well, the only thing I can compare it to is looking from the Peak of Mt. Everest, looking upon the other mountains as they rise their white peaks above the blanket of clouds… hm… never took myself for a poet…

"_That's because you're not."_

"_Hey, was I talking to you?"_

Joker takes us closer towards one of the towers, the one with a small trail of smoke coming out from its midsection. I'm guessing there must still be some fighting going on or at least someone's still alive over there, because we suddenly get a radio transmission, originating from the main tower… not sure which one that is, but a kroner on the one we're flying towards;

"This is Fai Dan, of the colony of Zhu's Hope. We're under attack from geth forces, barely… on! We have tried sealing… tunnels, but they blasted thro-… it. The commandoes have a… time holding them back, we… reinforcements!" Okay, so we're going to help someone named Fai Dan. I wonder if he was in the original as well…

"_Now you are doing it again…"_

"_Doing what?"_

"_Talking about the original… haven't you figured out yet that this is the real and therefore __**only**__ version there is!"_

"_Sorry, sorry…"_

John activates the comm.;

"This is the Normandy SR-1. We are here to provide assistance, can we be guided towards a docking bay?" okay, gotta hand it to John; he seems to know how to calm people down, because the response is very calm… almost tranquil…;

"Yes. I am sending a man down to guide you to me. Proceed to docking bay A-12. I am looking forward to receiving you, Commander Shepard." Okay… that was… how did he know it was John? I mean, it can't be _that_ public yet, who he is… never mind, we'll figure that one out later… for now, Joker is bringing us into the docking bay, a large room in a dull gray and white color. As the Normandy stops, and the magnetic holders clasping onto the ship's hull, I look around in the front of the CIC; entire ground crew, minus Liara who came to only a few hours ago. She was deemed too weak to come on the mission, so she stays on board. John has everyone else on this, even Tali. Though, Tali being here really shouldn't surprise me. With them being a thing and all… I stand in the group, now in front of the airlock. Nic, Ash and Tequila are standing beside me. John, Tali, Garrus and Jane are in front of me. We all exit as a group, Wrex and Kaidan staying behind for some time, guarding the ship until further notice. It's not that we won't need them, Hell, we will probably have to call for them soon enough, but I don't think John and Nihlus can handle more people at once, and these teams are big, compared to a three-man team in the games… or, at least in the second…_ wonder if you could bring everybody in the first game, then they rectified it?_

"_That I do not know, but I sense something… strange…"_

"_OH FUCK! Not again! I don't want to meet anymore aliens or dimension travelers! I am fed up with shooting bugs and figuring out two Shepards on one ship! You hear me! This has better not be more space monsters, or people from Halo or something!"_

"_Relax! Relax, I don't know what it is, I can only say I am much calmer about these things than I was about going to the tunnel on Therum."_

"_So… it's not something bad?"_

"_I can't say… but keep your eyes open for something unusual…"_

"_I've never seen this place before, how should I know unusual from mean-to-be in this place?"_

There is no response, and I realize that he isn't going to give me one. But dimension travelers did remind me of one thing;

Right before I joined the others, I did… well, it's not that it's against the rules; it's just that I'm not used to giving orders and issuing missions, but I gave Kasumi a job, while we are here. _Hell, I __**did**__ want to get those sooner or later…_ I sent her off with a little… job. More specifically, to get me the schematics for the UD-4L Cheyenne Gunship, the M56 Smartgun (always loved that gun) and the UA 571-C Sentry Gun. These should give us some extra firepower, just in case we run into the bugs again. And I'm sure there is some way in incorporate them with heat sinks, since finding actual bullet-ammo… is gonna be hard these days. Everything _does_ run on heat sinks now… but I'm still betting that at least the gunship kicks more asses when equipped with shields and modern firepower, than any other aircraft its size. Can't wait to replace the Mako with it, if the gunship fits in the cargo bay... There is just no way I'm going into that tank again… not after Therum. _Okay, I'm zoning out again…_

John presses the opening pad on the door, and the cold air from two kilometers above the ground greets us. _Great, this place is colder than Therum by at least twenty degrees…_ the whole place does look just as depressing as Therum though, on that they are alike; everything is grey, or black. There doesn't seem to be any of the clean white walls like on the Citadel, and there are multiple places in the walls where shots from plasma rifles has made impact… _are we too late?_

Suddenly, I spot a man standing about ten meters to our right. He looks a little nervous, but also happy to see us. Well, at least there are survivors here. John followed by Tali and Garrus walks on ahead, hailing the young man. I take a look around; the place seems even duller when properly inspected. Why anyone would set up a colony here… is beyond me;

"This place sure is a hole…" I say, not removing my gaze from the cracks and holes decorating the concrete walls.

"Yeah, makes you wonder why anyone would choose to live here…" Ash says, joining me in playing architect, almost like we're inspecting a house for sale.

"Hell, maybe its ju-"Nicolai starts talking when the sound of an explosion followed by surprised gasps and shouts echoes through the hall. We quickly look towards the sound, and see John, Jane and Tali open fire on a group of geth. Oddly enough, the man is gone, and Garrus doesn't move an inch. When we run up to them, the geth are already dead. I then take a look at Garrus, and I almost throw up at the sight of him; apparently, I have found the young man… he is sprayed all over Garrus, covering the Turian like a wet carpet. We all just freeze and look upon our turian friend, no one really seems to know what to say. Garrus finally seems to be the one to break the silence, running towards the railings and throwing up over it. He then just slides down the side of the railing and remains there… _Holy mother of divine shit… Garrus got a man sprayed all over him… the young man was vaporized by the geth, and ended up covering Garrus… this is just SICK! I mean, I've seen things before, scenes in movies and in real life that made me sick, my own body being one of them when pulled from under the train… but this? _

"Mother of… Shit!" Nicolai exclaims. I really don't know what to say right now, and I don't think the others do either.

Garrus looks like he's lost it, just sitting there and holding a hand in front of him, studying the red material now covering the back of it. Jane is finally the one to make a move, looking at the rest of us before speaking;

"I… I don't understand… this didn't happen when I was here the last time… we just talked to this man, then went to speak to Fai Dan and killed some geth… this guy didn't die… at least not as far as I know of…" She seems… shaken? No, surprised is more like it. For some reason, it doesn't look like the spraying of innards is a new thing to her…_ what exactly happened in her old life? _John seems to resume command;

"Jane, take Garrus back to the ship and make Liara look after him. Then Bring Kaidan back here. We need a full team for this, and I need someone big and strong like Wrex to guard the ship. We will proceed to meet Fai Dan, meet up with us there." Jane nods and drags Garrus to his feet. She doesn't seem very disturbed by the fact that Garrus is covered in grime and blood. He, on the other hand, looks like he might fall over if let go. Jane keeps a strong grip on him, and starts walking back down the ramp… or the road, I don't know, to the ship. John then sets forth, and we follow him. We run up another short passage, stumbling upon a pair of geth troopers engaged in a firefight with someone on the other side of small rectangular passage in the concrete wall. It doesn't take us long to dispatch them, John holding us back before he flings the troopers over the railings, sending them to their platforms' deaths. I sometimes forget just how awesome a thing biotics actually are… I mean, they are practically god-like powers, being able to move stuff with your mind, block incoming bullets and I wouldn't be surprised he biotics could fly as well, given the necessary training. When we pass through the passage, which actually seems to be a door, just without the moving part… so it's just a rectangular passage… when we pass through it, we get to a big staircase. It's just as depressing as the rest of the place, all gray and with no movement or life… scratch that!

The same kind of jumping geth that scared Garrus shitless on Therum are playing Spiderman in here, jumping from wall to wall and looking at us with those creepy flashlight eyes.

"Geth!" Tali shouts and we all raise our weapons at the frog-bots and open fire. As we quickly find out, those things are pretty damned hard to hit, constantly jumping around, evading our barrages. That is, until John gets the bright idea of trapping them with what I guess is a singularity… at least they are now floating in the air, sitting ducks for us. Needless to say, they don't last longer than five seconds before we could have collected them for scrap metal. We continue up the stairs and head towards a passage from where sunlight is shining on the floor. As we round the corner, we come across the colonists:

Two people who looks like colonists hail us, aiming at us at first, but I guess that seeing that we're humans, they lower their guns pretty fast. One of them, a guy at about thirty, looks at us and speaks;

"Go see Fai Dan; he's up on the other side of the freighter." _That Fai Dan seems like an important person…_

"Got it." John says, before I can ask the guy. The commander then continues towards the large wreck of a civilian freighter that makes up the center of the colony on this level. Walking through it, I can hear the mixed voices of scared colonists, talking about the geth, how they are going to survive this, and in some cases, how they are all going to die. A few people do seem to be speaking about some kind of commandoes, battling the geth in some tower. As long as they're not blue suns, Eclipse or Blood Pack… they were real assholes during the game… but perhaps they are a little nicer two years before the events with the Collectors… I don't know… when we exit the shipwreck, I spot a man, possibly in his fifties, speaking to a younger woman in her mid-twenties. John keeps marching towards him, so I'll guess that's Fai Dan… strange, with the name I was sure he would be a Salarian… and how did John know who he is, just walking up to him like that?

"I am Fai Dan, executor of Zhu's Hope. We are so happy that someone has finally come to help us. The commandoes are good, but since their strange ship crashed here, they've been fighting for survival as much as we have."

"I'm Commander John'Shepard vas Normandy nar Rayya. What's the situation here?"

"The geth started landing a few days back, slowly taking the tower floor by floor. Their heavy drop ships make it almost impossible for us to send out ships, and we've only been able to get out pictures… like the surveillance cams we sent out. Did you receive them?"

"Yes, how many geth are there, and what kind of commandoes is aiding you?" John asks. Nihlus looks like he's assessing the situation, scouting around and speaking to the colonists. These people seem to trust Turians, because he continues wandering around, having conversations with the locals.

"Right, right, sorry… these last days haven't been easy. The geth arrived a few days ago, landing forces here and at the bottom. We dealt with the geth up here, but the defenses broke about ten levels down. Each day, the geth get closer and closer… and now they are at this level. Everyone you see around here, every man, woman and child… is all that's left of the colony. We are not even sure why the geth attacked us… we have no beacons or whatever it is that they found on Eden Prime, and we are far out from any military targets…" The guy is clearly nervous… guess with a colony of civilians, and an army of geth marching on your front door… I would be wetting myself as well… wait, forget I said anything…

"What about these commandoes?"

"Yes… they are a strange bunch… a group of four guys wearing a kind of armor I've never seen before, using weapons I've never seen before either… I'm not much of a know-it-all on this field, but they are not alliance, I can tell you that."

"What makes you think that, or say that I suppose?" I ask. I wonder if the commandoes can be the new canon-fuckup… Fai Dan does describe them as being something he hadn't seen before… then again, the guy could see a Salarian and probably say; "what is that?" I don't think he's ever been outside this colony.

"They wear a kind of symbol on their armor, not the alliance symbol… it's… I only got a short look at-"

"Geth! Up there! Get to cover!" the woman next to Fai Dan suddenly yells. Never even got to tell us her name, then we are under attack again… just typical for us…

"Get to cover!" John yells, as what I've learned to identify as a geth destroyer barges down from a door that was sealed off. It opens fire on the crowd of humans in the area. We manage to take it down, however two colonists are shot before we do so… one of them takes a few minutes to do die. Ash tries her best to stop the bleeding, but there is nothing she can do. The poor guy was shot through the stomach multiple times, and the only thing we can do is to step back and let Ash and the guy's wife and daughter get to him. It's… I've never been good at these kinds of scenes, it's really heartbreaking; the woman next to the guy is throwing herself at him, with her hands trying help Ash feed medi-gel to the wounds, but the man is just holding her hands, whispering something to her. The daughter, she can't be more than five, is just sitting on her knees in front of her dad, constantly tugging and pulling his other hand, begging him to get up;

"Daddy, get up! Daddy, why won't you get up?" _Oh fuck man… poor kid…_

I can feel the tears pressing behind my eyes, but… the look on the girls face as she tries to make her dad get up… I have to breathe in heavily to stop myself from crying…

"_There is nothing you can do… if anyone, Ashley is the one who has a chance of saving the man. Although I doubt his chances are good… he has lost a lot of blood, and I can feel his life ebbing away…"_

"_I know… but look at the girl for fucks sake… isn't there anything you can do?"_

"_No… I am sorry, but my powers are not those of a healing spirit… I am powerless here…"_

"_Fuck…"_

The woman has sat down next to her husband, tears streaming down her face. She is by now just holding his hands while Ash is fighting to help the man. The daughter is trying to get closer to her dad, but Ash can't work with her crawling all over her, and I can see she's having some trouble making the girl understand that she needs some space to work… I gently take the girl and lift her from her fathers lap. I then put her down next to her mother and make sure she stays there. I'm sure that what I did makes me a monster in her eyes, possibly in the mother's eyes as well, but I know that if Ash is to have any chance of saving the man, she needs to be left alone, or get some help. The mother and the girl then moves a few meters away, to give us more space. Ash can't work probably with the girl trying to hug her dying father. _Fuck man… if there is a way I can help, I'll try!_ I leave the girl and her mother, and go to where Ash is sitting on her knees in front of the man, desperately fighting to stop the bleeding;

"Ash… is there anything I can do? Just… anything?"

"Help me apply pressure here! The medi-gel is helping, but not enough. I can't cover the wounds and use the gauze on the same time, so you hold the entry holes, and I'll begin wrapping him up!"

"Will that work?" I ask, making my voice a little lower.

"Really, I don't know… it's the best I can do… but I don't know if it will be enough to save him… scans show he's got some internal bleeding, along with some organs that may have been ruptured… even if what I do does work, he has to get to a hospital… and fast…"

"Okay… I'm ready… just tell me where to hold." I have to do this, to be able to do this… the little girls face… it almost broke me apart… Ash then points at a gaping wound in the man's belly, seeping with blood. A pool of the now cold sticky fluid has begun appearing under him, and he is looking very pale. Behind me, I can hear the sound of sobs coming from the girl and her mother. _ I fucking can't let them down here!_ As I place my palms over the wound and press down, Ash starts unfolding a roll of gauze from a medicinal kit. I had no idea she had one, let alone where she kept it. My hands start sliding as the blood mixes with the medi-gel, and I have to wipe a hand on my armor to make it dry enough to hold on again._ Why the hell won't the gel stiffen?!_

"Okay, move your hands… Now!" Ash says, and I comply by removing my hands and letting her spread the gauze across the man's body. It immediately darkens where the wound is, but she just keeps on wrapping his abdomen in the white tissue. The guy is _very_ pale now, and he's barely breathing. As if that wasn't enough, blood is now seeping out of his mouth…. _Fuck! Even I know what that means; the lungs are punctured! But… I don't see any bullet holes that high… why… how did that happen?"_ I grab Ash's shoulder, and point at his mouth. She sees it too. Immediately she starts moving up to the guys face, telling him not to speak or breathe too much;

"I-it doesn't… matter… let… let me see Joanne and Karin… please?

"Of course… I'll… get them now." I say, starting to rise. _Fuck! No, for fucks sake! Why did they have to hit him in the lungs? We could have saved him you synthetic bastards!_ As I approach the mother and the daughter, I can see not only their destroyed faces, but also the faces of the rest of the team. They are just looking on, sadness and regret in their eyes. _Why the hell didn't they help!?_

"_Because they couldn't. You are the only one, apparently besides Ashley, with any experience in treating these kinds of wounds…"_

I kneel down next to the mother and the girl, trying to come up with something to say, something that may help soothe them… anything but letting them deal with the loss like this… but nothing comes to mind… _huuuhhhh…. I hate this part of the job… seeing someone die in front of you is hart enough… but seeing the reaction of the family right after… _

"Why is daddy still lying down? Does he need help getting up?" _Oh…. Fuck…. I'm going to hate myself for this for years to come, I just know it…_ I look at Ash, hoping to see her face lit in a smile, and the father being up and running… but she just looks at me with sad eyes, shaking her head.

"What is happening with my husband? Is he going to be… alright?" the mother asks. _Why didn't they prepare you for this stuff in Homeland Security? Fire a gun? Sure! Deal with the consequences… that was never taught…_ though I suppose, you cannot teach people to cope with these things…

"I… I am sorry… but… he seems to have punctured his lungs… there… was nothing we could do… he is conscious… if you want to speak to him…" My words seem to have had the most unwanted effect, causing tears to quietly stream down the cheeks of the woman, and the girl to go completely numb. I leave them to themselves as they start towards the man, his face turned towards them with a faint smile. _I think it's best if we leave them to a last moment… for the love of God! Why couldn't we save him?_

"_As strange and unnatural as you may be or seem to this place, even you can't defy death…" _

Ash seems to have had the same thought, because she as well has left the side of the man, leaving him and his family to say goodbye… _God, that just sounded so… cynical…_ and it's not because I'm a cynical person; I'm fucking close to tears over this… I just have no experience with these things… I never got to say goodbye to my own family, and the guys on Eden Prime I never really got to know… so I just step out of this. My entire body is shaking; a man has just been sentenced to death because I couldn't save him… now his daughter has to deal with losing her dad at the age of five. I never had to deal with something like that, but… Ash had to say farewell to her father at a young age as well… I think… why didn't I pay more attention to what she said back then… _did she even tell me?_ I mean, I know, because I read up on her in… my old world, but I can't remember if she has told me this herself… Ash comes over to me;

"It's… never easy… not being able to save someone…" She says, not giving me a chance to speak. I guess that's good. What I would have said would probably sound like an ass anyway.

"No… I don't know how many times you've done this Ash; seeing people die because you couldn't save them… but this… I can't… this…" behind Ash, the wife and daughter are sitting with the husband, using the handkerchiefs Ash gave them to wipe away the thin stream of blood running from his mouth with each breath. Waves of convulsions running through them at regular intervals… they are crying…_Of course they are crying you idiot, the girl's about to lose her dad!_

"_Are you calling me an idiot?"_

"_No… myself…"_

"I know… but you were a big help, even though we… lost him…"

"Would it have helped if Chakwas had been here?" _Another "what if…" _

"Possibly… but I doubt even she could have saved him… a ruptured or a punctured lung… that's not something you can just heal… I don't even know how to do that… I can bandage people, stop bleeding from the arteries, reset broken bones… but ruptured lunges… if that happens… you're dead…" She looks sad, and with reason. This apparently isn't the first she has lost… behind us, over by the group, Jane has returned with Kaidan. Looks like John is filling her in on the situation, even though she must know about it from her earlier life. For some reason, thinking about this brings a chuckle to my mouth as Ash and I walk over to the group. We have watched the two women, the adult and the young, say their farewells to the man, husband and father, and the other colonists carry him away;

"Why are you chuckling?" _hmm… Ash could think I have some sick kind of humor, laughing when people die…_

"It's… not what we have just done, losing someone… it's just, I had a thought…" Ash's interest looks peeked.

"What?"

"'Just, thinking about our current crew… it's strange…"

"How?"

"See, we've got people who should only be in games, people who should not even exist, people who should be dead, and people from other dimensions… not exactly what I would call a normal crew…"

"Ha… yeah, you could say that… but I'm still not sure about that Jane… something seems off about her… like she's done something she wants to hide away in a box and swallow the key…"

"Now that you mention it…" I say, stopping both of us about seven meters from the rest of the group, and continue speaking in a lower voice; "When Garrus was… well, showered before… I noticed her being the only one not fretting or being shocked about the blood and gore…"

"Think she's… I don't know… dangerous?"

"She's Jane Shepard… and you're asking if she is dangerous?"

"I mean, "Dangerous"…"

"I can't say… I'll try speaking to her later, alone… to find out what exactly she has been through…"

"You sure that's-"Ash starts to say, but is cut off by the woman in mention.

"What happened to him?" Jane says, gesturing towards the now dead man, and his family; the mother and daughter, wandering around in some kind of trance.

"The husband got shot by geth… we tried saving him, but the lung was ruptured… nothing we could do…" I say. Jane looks like she's swearing under her breath, then she marches towards Fai Dan. _Oh yeah… she knows the guy…_;

"Fai Dan, where are those commandoes? We may need their help and the other way around." At least she isn't introducing herself as Jane Shepard… that would have made some people scratch their heads…

"Still up in the tower, you can hear them shooting if you listen" And as we do, the sound of repeated rifle fire, and constant screams from dying geth can be heard. It… almost sounds like a massacre, the sound of the synthetic screams almost overpowers the sound of gunfire.

"Then let's get up there" I say; "I'm eager to meet these guys if they are the one trashing all those geth." As we move into the tower, I realize that most of the inside of the place is completely riddled with scorch marks, bullet holes and cracks. _Seems more like an army than four men was in here…_ the sound of gunfire grows stronger, as does my anticipation. What if these guys simply _are_ highly trained Blue Suns, and not actually another canon-fuckup? _Well, can't say I would complaint; the amount of havoc we must already have caused on this story… I almost fear for what might happen if… what is that clinking, beeping sound?_ As I zoom back in, I notice a small round and red-blinking object bounce down the stairs. Even though I don't recognize the type, I immediately yell;

"Grenade!" and the rest look from me to the object of interest, before starting to run down the stairs. As I spin around, I realize that we won't get clear before the thing goes off…

"Got it!" John shouts, wrapping the ball in sphere of dark energy, catching the following blast inside the sphere, causing no harm to any of us.

"Pheew… Good job John! I was sure we had bought it there!"

"Yeah well, you can thank me when we've cleared this place of geth… and found those commandoes… I hope they were not the ones dropping that bomb… that would be a bad start to a friendship…"

"You could say that again…" I mumble, looking around. Even though the sphere caught the blast, the ground where the grenade used to be is now missing, revealing a hole the size of an European football, or a Soccer ball… never did bother learning the difference… both game are fine when played for fun, but it always sickened me how much those so-called professionals were paid… I'm zooming out again…

As we get to the top of the stairs, we find a small mountain of dead geth. Most have been shot, straight through the lamp, while some have had their cables slid. _Damn… engaging geth in close quarters? Whoever these guys are… they've got some balls…_ up ahead, the stairs end, leading to a concrete hallway. Even more scorch marks line these walls. It's almost as if the commandoes managed to push back the geth. After we've walked through some corridors, all in the same bland color, we enter an open area. Up above us, a huge geth dropship is hovering, constantly sending down a rain of geth troopers. How they don't break on impact… is beyond me… the area is large, mainly consisting of a raised platform with some low walls, some rubble, more concrete walls… and a squad of four commandoes… dressed in oddly familiar armor… I know I've seen it before somewhe- no… no that… _that would just be too crazy… I mean… I can deal with Tequila, being another human being like me… or John, being the nice guy he is… but… no… could they be?_

"_Do you want me to answer that in English, or try what I can in Mandalore? Or whatever the language is called…"_

"_Are you seriously saying that-"_as I'm about to continue, the commandoes spot us, and seeing as we do not look like the colonists, they hail us;

"Hold! Who are you? You don't look like the other humans that asked us to help wipe out the clank-… the geth…" the guy I assume is the leader says.

He is wearing a piece of complete white and gray body armor with shoulder pads and a closed helmet his armor is painted with red marks and stripes, one going on his helmet, and more on the rest of his armor, going in a red triangle on his right shoulder and upper torso. We can't see through the helmet, and it does look a bit… intimidating… the visor, which I guess is the part he can see through, is T-shaped, and has a faint blue glow in them. It almost looks like he has a blue and glowing face behind a white mask. His armor looks like it's made out of some kind of plastic, perhaps an alloy of graphene and steel. His armor is dirty with scorch marks and a few holes in the shoulder pads. In his hands, he is wielding a rifle, the likes of which I haven't seen in… what, nine, ten years? Since I was eleven, and played that game called…_ could it really be…_ I look around him, and three other men are positioned behind him, weapons held at a ready, but not yet trained on us. One of them has what looks like a red blood smear on his helmet, and the rest of his armor is also decorated with this. He is wielding a large rifle which I assume is a sniper rifle. _Man, Garrus would have wanted to see this guy…_ John, being the leader of our group, steps forward;

"We are friendly, don't shoot!" The leader of the men, who I have now identified as being a member of… _Delta squad? How on… no, how IN the galaxy are they here!?_

"_You keep asking me as if I know the answer to that question… I do not… just, shout "we are Vode an" if they train their arms at us…"_

"_Vode an… what… is it that means again?" _somehow, the name, or word sounds very familiar, but I can't remember the meaning… a shame, it was a cool song…

""_Vode an", means brother in their language, and it could save your ass, should they deem you hostile…"_

"Just what are you supposed to be? You; the guy with the face-visor and the suit." the leader speaks up. John looks taken aback, obviously taking this as a sign of racism, a man not expecting Quarians to speak;

"What do you mean by that?" John asks.

"What is he saying? Can any of you guys understand him?" he looks back at his team members… I remember the big burly guy to the left of him, the one with what looks like a rocket launcher in his hands, is called "Scorch". That's the only one I can remember the name on.

"No Boss, I heard a lot of strange noises, like mumbling or something, but I didn't catch a single word…" John is clenching his fists, looking really pissed that he has to endure a group of racists, simply because they are tough commandoes. I better do something…

"Wait… don't you people have translators?" Oh… Ash was way ahead of me there… the leader… "Boss" they called him… turns his gaze towards her as Ash steps in front of John, perhaps to avoid him taking shots at the commandoes…

"Soldier, identify yourself!" Boss demands, pointing at Ash. She looks a bit the same as John, not used to people being so… well, commando-like, but she answers him;

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the SSV Normandy. Who are you?" _Good thinking Ash, an answer for an answer… saves me the trouble of having to spill the first beans… though I'm sure these guys will have a revelation before the day is over…_

"We are Delta-Squad. I am delta-38. The team calls me "Boss"… just call me 38… I don't know if I trust any of you yet. So, Miss Williams… you ready to tell me just where we are, and if the _Endeavour_ was destroyed, or is it on its way with reinforcements?_"_ So, this is where I step in. Hey, what can I do, these are _the_ Delta Squad. The toughest bad-asses in the Star Wars universe… speaking of which, Ash have no idea what he's talking about;

"Delta Squad… we are… vode an." At this, Boss almost immediately shifts his gaze to me… I think; "My name is Thomas Fisher, Private on the SSV Normandy. You are currently on the colony of Zhu's hope on the planet Feros… as for the _Endeavour…_ I think it's better to tell you when we are out of here and not about to be shot at by geth…" When I look around me, to the rest of the team, Ash and Kaidan, along with Jane, Nic and Tequila… actually, it's just everyone's faces I can actually see… they are all starring at me. Well, Nic is more looking intrigued and amused, rather than the sheer surprise in the other guys eyes… and girl's eyes;

"You seem to know our language… so I'll risk trusting you… for now. First, we have to get back to the man in charge, this Fai Dan." And with that, he signals his group; "Let's move it Deltas." _Man, that sentence just made my day…_

"Ah, I see you have met the commandoes Commander Shepard. Did you remove the geth threat?" at this, John rubs his neck;

"Well… actually, Delta had already finished them off by the time we got there… how did they end up here by the way? I mean, you said they crashed here, but the leader talked about a ship called the _Endeavour_… what can you tell us about that?" Fai Dan massages his temples, looking like he's trying to remember;

"Yes… they dropped out of slip-space, as far as we know, from the relay and followed it up with steering towards the planet. At first, we thought it was Batarians, seeing as the gunship they crashed in didn't match Alliance, Turian or Salarian profiles… but some ship called the _Endeavour_? No… I don't know about that…" Great… 'Means I gotta spill even more about these guys… _Have I ever told you how glad I am that they already know about me?_

"_You have…mentioned it a couple of times…"_

"Alright, Fai Dan… how the hell can you understand what that… person is saying?" The clone with the red armor asks. _This could be a fun conversation…_

"I am not certain what you are asking… how I understand him?"

"Yeah, we have no idea what this… man… is saying, but you are having a normal conversation with him…"

"I take it you people do know that a thing such as translators exits…" Fai Dan looks like he is having quite a fun time educating these people… suddenly, Ash grabs a hold of my armor's neck, and I find myself, as well as Nic, dragged away from the others;

"Hey, hey Ash what was that for?" Nic asks. In truth, I was about to ask the same…

"Alright you two. I get the feeling these guys aren't from this place either. So would you mind telling me who the hell THEY are?"

"Hey, don't look at me; I've never seen them before." Nic holds up his hands in defense, leaving Ash to look at me. _Oh dear…_

"So… Thomas… more friends… like the corporal?" Ahh… she is still not completely over the fact that Tequila just emerged in… _our_ universe… guess I can't really blame her for that one…

"Ehh… That's a bit hard to explain…"

"No, it isn't. Just tell me who these guys are Thomas." She _does_ sound a little pissed…

"Okaayy… if I am correct, which I am 89 percent of the time-"

"No you are not…" Nicolai interrupts me. _Thank you… Bosh'tet…_

"As I said… if I am correct" here I give my friend a stare; "then these guys, Delta Squad… are clones… clone troopers, or commandoes, to be more precise." Ash just shakes her head.

"So… are they from here or not?" She asks, a frown apparent in her face, as well as a strain in her voice.

"I knew they looked like clones. But I just couldn't place them… what movie?"

"That, Ash, would be a "no"… they are from another galaxy, one Nic and I know as the Star Wars galaxy… and the "movie" he talks about, is one of six… but Nic… they are not from the movies either. It's an old game, called "Republic Commandoes"… old, even where we come from buddy… but, long story made short, they are badasses… their leader is called "Boss", and I remember the guy with the yellow armor-pattern, and the missile launcher is called "Scorch"… the other two, I can't remember…" Ash looks like she is about to say something, but another voice cut's her off;

"Well… that's interesting…" I turn on the spot, and Jane and Kaidan are standing right behind me, Kaidan's face in a deep frown. _Well… this could complicate things…_

"Oh… hey Kaidan… Jane… I… didn't see you there…" Jane's eyes are closed, and she has a palm on her forehead;

"Jesus… how many shit-storms are you gonna throw at me in forty-eight hours?" _Well, then you shouldn't have snuck up on me…_

"Well, it wasn't my intention to include other people than Nic and Ash…but I guess it really doesn't make that big a difference…"

"Well, that would explain why the leader clone, "Boss", didn't know what the hell John is… man, wait till he sees Garrus."

"When you say "till"… what do you mean?" I ask. I'm not really a big fan having more trans-dimensional people on the ship, no matter how badass they are… I mean, how should we explain the rest of the crew that we have got four guys that looks _exactly _the same, on the same ship?... might as well just yell over the speakers "Hey everybody, the Normandy is now a flying circus and freak show! Come see the similar men! Come see the dimension travelers! Come see the human version of our commander!" That would be something to remember… after the court-martial that is…

"_Aren't you overreacting? Just a little bit?"_

"_Don't know, you tell me…"_

"_I… I actually don't know… I cannot predict the outcome of that situation…"_

"Well" Jane says, smirking slightly; "We _are_ taking them with us, I hope?" _Oh no! That would be a… well, I _think_ that would be a bad idea… Dammit, why can't I stick to an argument for two fucking seconds?_ I sigh, and look at Jane Shepard… another thing that's bound to mess me up a bit; two versions of the same person…

"We… we'll see… let's just save this colony first…"

"I can abide by that Thomas." Kaidan says. He didn't say a word during the conversation… how funny… well, not _funny_, but interesting… sort of…

As we turn back to the rest of the teams, the clones and our guys, they seem to be in a rather… heated discussion…;

"What do you mean; geth? Are they some sort of new battle droid?" the clone with the red marks says. His voice sounds like someone ready to kill you, simply by intimidating you…

"Battle droid..." Fai Dan looks a little bewildered… guess it's time to pull our clones aside and explain the situation… _man, why is it always me?_; "I don't know what a battle droid exactly is… but they are a race of synthetics created by the Quarians… the two people standing right there" at this, he gestures at John and Tali… _Well this could- what the?_ In a blurry moment, the red-marked commando has raised his gun at John. The Quarian quickly raises his hands in a defensive gesture;

"So, it's the two of you people that sent these things? 'Should have know; you hide your faces like the sith!"

"What the hell are you talking about?! Tali and I didn't create the geth, our ancestors did!" John shouts, never taking his hands down an inch. Tali seems just as distraught as him.

"Boss, we can't trust these-"the second the clone has turned his head towards the team-leader, John knocks him unconscious by slamming him into the wall;

"SEV!" The three other clones shout, each aiming at John's head with their own rifles. _Oh mother of shit!_ I don't even think, I just move: Both me, Nic, Kaidan, Tequila and Ash jump in front of John, shielding him from weapons fire with our own bodies._ Kinda stupid, actually…_ Jane draws her own sidearm, training it at Scorch;

"Get out of the way! He just used the force to attack 07! He's a sith!" Boss shouts. _Oh for the love of Mara!_

"Get those fucking rifles down clones! John is no sith! He's a fucking biotic! And he just did that in self-defense, you paranoid dummies!" Ash shouts, all the while gesturing at John, then at Sev, currently still on the ground.

"What the hell is a "Biotic"?" Scorch says, now training his rifle at Jane, having found himself in her crosshairs.

"Someone capable of manipulating dark energy and such, making stuff fly! That's what this universe has, face it!" _Good shouting A-… did she just spill the beans to them?_ Luckily, Fai Dan has run off, possibly because he isn't used to a group of well armed individuals suddenly drawing at each other.

"Wait! Hold it!" Boss steps in; "Miss…" he gestures for Ash to say her name;

"Williams…"

"Miss Williams… what do you mean by "this universe… where and when exactly _are_ we?" _he seems to have some brain in that helmet… of course, else he wouldn't lead Delta squad, would he?_

"You'd better ask Thomas that question; he's more… experienced than me in this crap…" And of course, the monkey gets passed on to me… well, she _is_ right… still…

"Okay… this wasn't really the kind of situation I would have chosen to reveal it to you guys in… namely because Sev is unconscious… but, here it is; in some way, by some means none of us have no idea of… you four were dragged from your own universe to this." Their silence must be a sign for me to continue; "Currently, you are in the Galaxy known as the Milky Way, home to humans, Quarians, Turians and a shitload of other races, all ruling together in the Citadel council… Well, the Salarians, the Turians and the Asari are… humanity still has to earn a seat, and our home planet is _not_ Coruscant, but Earth … as for the date… we are in 2183, September, 2… I think that about covers it… oh, and these two, did _not_ create the "clankers" you have been fighting, their ancestors did. The machines are called geth, and drove the Quarians from their own home world about three-hundred years ago… Alright, _that _covers it." I am actually sorry they are wearing helmets, because their faces must be stunned with surprise right now…

"What about the "biotics" that… Quarian, just pulled off? Are you sure they are _not_ the force?" the last clone asks. He has some occasional green marks on his armor.

"Who are you vode?" I ask.

"Delta-40… though the team calls me "Fixer"… Hacking and entering, that's what I do best." He almost sounds proud.

"Alright… well, seeing as I'm not a biotic… Kaidan, could you try and explain to these guys? It's kinda your field here…"

"Ehh… sure kid." _Why does he always call me that?_; "Right… biotics are the ability of an individual, such as myself, to control and manipulate mass effect fields, due to certain circumstances that made us more agreeable towards Eezo, and some implants in our bodies… we can then use these implants to create mass effect fields that negate gravity and other universal forces… like ripping apart a man by the molecule… so what John here did, was quite harmless, considering what he _can _do…" Kaidan finishes. _Okay, he certainly did that better than I could have done…_

After Kaidan's little speech, we all lower whatever weapon we had raised on the opposite team. Well, all except for the corporal: Tequila is still aiming her new Lancer at the clones. The rest of us exchange views… there… are some concerned looks;

"Tequila… you can put down the rifle…" Nic says, trying to use his hand to push her rifle towards the ground, away from Boss's face. She doesn't budge or flinch an inch… _what is the matter with her?_

"Tequila?" Nicolai keeps at it, still pushing her rifle down. Finally, she speaks;

"I don't know about the rest of you dimension-people, but I actually watched those old movies. I saw what the clones did in Star Wars III. Give me _one_ reason I should trust these guys. They may just have come back from the fucking temple!" I can see, even despite the helmet, that the commandoes are confused. They are looking at each other making resigning or disbelieving gestures with their arms. _Guess they got here before that…_

"What do you mean by "the temple"?" Ash asks her. Tequila turns to face her, never taking her gun's crosshairs from Scorch's visor.

"Oh… yeah, that never existed here, did it?" she chuckles; "Funny… how it is… my universe was a game to your universe, but you have never heard of these guys… and I know of these people, even though my universe was just a game to you… or, to some of you…" At this, she looks at me and Nic. I gesture for her to continue;

"Well, but these guys, they were created and trained to serve some people called Jedi, people who could do stuff a little similar to biotics… but then, the Sith sent one message, _one_ message, saying to "execute order 66", and suddenly, all the clones just… murdered their respective Jedi generals… not even flinching…" she turns her attention back to the commandoes;

"So give me _one_ good reason I should trust these people not to pull the same shit at us!"

"Corporal…" Boss is stepping forward now, his visor now pressing towards Tequila's rifle; "What the Hell are you talking about?" his voice is calm, but underlying with a sense of anger and confusion that could make me step backwards…

"Oh, don't you fucking give me that! The entire planet Earth watched as the 501'st marched on the Jedi temple and slaughtered everyone in there. We all saw as Cody shot down Obi-Wan Kenobi, and as Ayla Sekhura was mercilessly cut down by her own soldiers on Felucia. I don't even wanna know who you people killed when Palpatine called in "order 66". And to top it off, he even turned Skywalker against the other Jedi, made him the next sith-apprentice. So… don't play innocents with me, plastic boy. I know what you have done." From the looks of it, Fixer is close to collapsing, staggering back and grapping a wall for support. Boss and Scorch just stands there, not moving at all.

"When… when are you saying this… happened?" Boss asks. He starts yanking off his helmet, and while I am not really sure what to expect, I am… I don't know if I should call it… surprised? He looks _exactly _like Jango Fett, the bounty hunter they were all cloned from. It's… slightly disturbing…

"What do you mean, "When did this happen?"… Can't you even be bothered to remember?" Tequila asks. She is starting to lower her rifle, now unconsciously aiming at Boss's crotch. _Poor guy if she gets a twitch…_

"Corporal…" Boss says, letting his armored hand glide through his short black hair; "I have no recollection or memory of anything like that… the last thing I remember is… travelling to the battle for Kashyyk. We were dropping out of hyperspace, but when our group left the _Endeavour_, we were hit by… something. Some kind of energy weapon. Our gunship crashed. When we came to, these… geth, as you call them, were swarming our position, and shot at us. We returned fire, but these guys were tougher and more intelligent than the CIS's droids… they behaved like us, ducked, ran and fired… it was strange… but we still cut them down, and their ammunition barely penetrated our armor... but what is this order 66, the one you mentioned before?"

Tequila sighs, now having put her rifle back in its magnetic holder;

"Order 66… man, that was a nightmare… when it was discovered that Palpatine was the Sith lord, the Jedi, led by Mace Windu, tried arresting him… but they had underestimated him. Palpatine killed everyone but Mace, but then Skywalker chopped Windu's hand off, swore his allegiance to Palpatine, and led the 501'st into the Jedi-temple… and that was the fall of the Republic…"

"Spirits of Coruscant… that can't be true!" Scorch says, falling to his knees. Next to us, Sev is starting to move;

"Regardless of what have happened or what might have happened…" Suddenly, Nihlus' voice cuts in. I look in the direction of the sound, and find the Spectre leaning against a concrete column..;

"You four are not the first we've met to have been jumped from their own existence to ours. The question is why…" Nihlus waits for a bit before continuing. The rest of us just stare at him;

"Yeah, I think he gathered as much that I'm not from here either." Tequila says. Nihlus gives her a look, possibly analyzing the new wildcards, the clones;

"Yes. But she isn't the only one. The two young men here," at this, he gesture at me and Nic; "are not from this place either. Just as you were, it appears that they were jumped here in the moment of their deaths… and the young red haired woman next to me, the one currently _still aiming her gun_ at you…" Jane seems to catch the hint, and puts the gun away. Nihlus nods at her; "is from another version of this universe… so far, I believe that is all. Now, would you please get your team-member on his feet? We've got a colony to save."

"So… is the… can someone at least translate what the hell that guy just said?" Scorch says… I slap myself in the forehead. _Face palm! How could we forget that!? They have just been standing there, listening to "raw, rawraw!" all the time! Might as well have told a dog to speak to them…_

"Divines… someone get them some translators… I don't know why the hell they didn't have them sooner…" I say. _Did I just give an order?_ Never mind that… Tali steps up to Boss, obviously a bit nervous about these new people, but she still grabs inside one of her suit-pockets, retrieving four pairs of the earplug-thingies. Boss grabs his from her hand, nodding a thank you. He then grabs a pair for Sev, who's slowly getting on his feet again, while Scorch and Fixer grabs a pair as well. They have to take off their helmets, so I'm searching for the look and sounds of shock from the others when they see four completely similar people. I'm not disappointed.

"This is… unusual… to say the least." Nihlus says, shaking his head. The sudden ability to understand the Turian makes Boss look in his direction;

"That… is one way of putting it…" then, an awkward silence ensues. No one knows just how to react to this. Hell, even I don't know what to say. And I'm usually the guy with all the knowledge of canon and being able to speak and banter like shit otherwise… for once, I'm glad Sev is a guy with grudges;

"What the hell just happened? Who knocked me out cold?" He says, now standing in his full height, which is actually a bit more than Nihlus. Even with the head-spikes… I sigh;

"Sev… can you understand what the Turian just said?" I ask. That's kinda the first step towards avoiding another episode of raised guns…

"Sure… but what's this thing in my ear… and why is my helmet off?" Oh, he just needs to get used to having that thing there…

"Well, that thing in your ear is a translator, which is also why I had to take off your helmet Oh-seven. And with that translator, we should be able to avoid another case of you misunderstanding our friendly commander Shepard here." at this he points at John. Sev follows his finger, and gets a more sour expression.

"You! You knocked me out cold when I looked away… how did you do that?" Sev sneers, pointing an armored finger at John. John seems to have had enough: he cracks his knuckles and send Sev on a short levitating trip;

"Like this stupid. Now you better keep that gun out of my face, okay?" Sev is currently floating like a balloon, flailing his arms and reaching for his sidearm. A gun, he then proceeds to accidently drop;

"Whoaaa! Get me the FUCK down from-" _**Bump!**_ "Here… ouch…" Well, Sev wanted down, and John, being the good guy he is, lets him down. _Now, why would Sev be pissed by that?_;

"Wha- wha-how can he do that? He can't be a Jedi! Can he?"

"What is a… never mind…" Tali says. Apparently, she is just as confused as the rest. This does make Boss turn his head at her, however;

"A Jedi, young… lady… is a person capable of using the force to manipulate his surroundings, bending them to his will. It looks a lot like what… Shepard just did, but it isn't the same. The Force, is much more… gentle, more precise… and from what I've seen from your brother, this "biotic" thing, is much more raw and direct…" at the word _brother_ Tali starts rubbing her neck like a crazy;

"Oh… oh, we aren't… John isn't my brother…" She says, her babbling and fumbling shining through. I can't help a smile. This is pretty funny.

"Oh, pardon me then, I am terrible at judging other species… what are you by the way? Certainly, you and the other non-humans here are not familiar to me…" Well, that was strange. I look at the other humans in the group, most are smiling or shaking their heads. _Divines… _

"I… John and I, we are Quarians… we do look a lot like you humans actually, but you just can't see it because of… well, the masks, and the suit…"

"Oh. Well, how about that… man, over there?" he asks, pointing at Nihlus. The turian snorts, looking at boss;

"You do know that I can answer perfectly for myself, don't you soldier? And just out of curiosity, what is your rank?" _oh yeah… I wonder who's the highest ranking person here; John, Nihlus or "Boss"…_

"Squad commander of Delta-three, lieutenant Delta-38. This is Delta-40, my second in command. He carries the rank of Senior sergeant. Scorch, Delta-62, and Sev, Delta-07, both carry the rank of sergeant. What is your rank?"

"Spectre Nihlus Kryik." I can see that to Boss, the word "Spectre" doesn't mean anything. Nihlus seems to have realized this as well;

"Spectres are the right hand of the galactic council. Officially, I am here as the leader of the mission, but practically speaking, I hold the rank of… what is it you humans call it… Major. Turians don't have that rank, although I do know I outrank you. The Quarian next to me, Commander John'Shepard, does of course hold the rank of commander. This also makes him your direct superior while we are assisting you." Nihlus says. Okay, this is getting a bit boring, all these exchanges of pleasantries… _Jesus!_

"Eehhhrrr people… I don't know how to say this, but… can we please get the hell back to work?" I say. I just hope that didn't sound… what's the word? Insubordinate?

"Right, we have been standing around for too long. Normally I would just say that it isn't every day you meet people from other dimensions, but… well, this isn't exactly normal, is it?" Boss says. _He couldn't be more right…_

* * *

**Okay, how was that for a fuck-up in canon? we've got the infamous Delta-squad in our midst, and I just hope we can get them on the team.**_  
_

**I have to admit, this was really difficult to write, making it as "realistic" as possible. Believe it or not, taking clones into Mass Effect took a lot of consideration on my part. I almost didn't know how to do it, but my muse saved my ass, yet again.**

**Alright, leave a review, tell me if I now fucked up and destroyed this story, or if it just got better.**

**See 'ya **


	11. Geth and Monsters

A/N:

**Alright, I'm back. Bet you all thought i was dead, but, sorry to disapoint ye, I'm very much alive :)**

**Alright, after much... suggestion... I have corrected some minor yet deadly errors in the grammar.**

**Yes, I know this chapter took a war to write, but blame my teachers for throwing reports and stuff at us twenty-four seven.**

**Other than that; Enjoy.**

* * *

Geth and monsters.

As we move back into the colony, Boss and John take the lead, leaving the rest of us to wander in a big group behind them. Funny, how things turned out. We start out needing just about everyone on the ground team, then suddenly we meet four more people who could probably do this themselves. And now? I look around, counting to myself… now we are twelve people… _twelve team members… in opposite to the three in the game… suck it BW, we beat your odds!_ I actually can't help a little smile. The geth can come at us; we have the most deadly team in recorded history. If nothing else happens, these guys can tip the scales on Virmire.

Fai Dan is waiting at the corner of an intersection of walls, speaking to the woman with the short dark hair. When he sees us, he quickly sends her away._ Hmm… that might be a little rude…_;

"I see you have refrained from shooting each other. That is good… we… still have some problems…"

"What's wrong now?" I hear Nic saying, a bit of boredom in his voice. _How the hell can he be bored here? I swear sometimes…_

The elderly man then resumes speaking;

"Oh, it's nothing big, should be handled within minutes if we just send some small teams. The water supply has been turned off, as has our power. The main problem though, is a big Varren residing in one of the many corridors down there, blocking aces to our comm. sat… Would there be a chance that your team could handle that one, while the commandoes took care of the water and power?" _Really? He is tasking Delta squad with maintenance-duty? And how bad can one Varren be? The ones in ME2 were just a knock-knock on the head, and they died…_

"_Do I still have to remind you that this is real? They are a bunch of butchers, so fierce they make a Rottweiler look like a puppy!"_

"_I'm really hoping that was a joke… "_

"_I never joke __**to**__ you, only around you…"_

"_That doesn't make any sense!"_

"_Just focus, will you?"_

"_Right, right…" _

"Shouldn't be much of a problem." Nihlus says; "I can take a small squad down there to deal with your Varren-problems, while the commander stays here with the rest of the team, and the commandoes take care of the other tasks. We will keep in radio contact, should anything go wrong." _Hmm… good plan… I think…_

I look at Fai Dan who's wringing his hands… is it just me, or does he look a tad nervous? _Nah, that's probably just me._

John makes the decision of how to divide our team: Me, Nihlus, Kaidan and Tequila are sent to deal with this Varren that has everyone so scared. John and the rest stayed behind, while the clones played janitors and we play pest-control. I told Nic to watch out for Ash, just in case. I know she never died until Virmire, or at least, that's when Jane had to choose… but we can't be too careful. Things are already fucked up as it is, and I can't help the feeling that something is wrong here. It's not because mister Roku has picked something up. And yes, I've _finally_ named the bugger… or actually, he chose the name for himself: As a small child, I really enjoyed the cartoon series "Avatar". And this kid, the main character, had a spiritual helper and guide named Roku. So I guess it fits. I haven't called him that yet though... it just seems… weird… Anyway, I'm zooming out here. We are down in the network of hallways, pipes, tubes and long narrow corridors, which make up the infrastructure of the colony. I think- and I've actually lost my sense of direction down here- that we are about two or three levels down, and the only light in here comes from our flashlights. It's actually pretty scary;

"I hope we don't run into more bugs down here…" I say.

"Shut up, Thomas." Tequila says.

"'Heard about some sort of bugs down there… on Therum… what happened?" Kaidan asks. Of course, he wasn't on the mission, but he could have waited till we were back on the Normandy, or asked me before… but, I really can't be mad at the guy. I often killed him off in Gene-… _no! For fucks sake brain. _This is REAL! I won't let anyone die, even if it costs me a leg!

"Eehhhrrr… can it wait for a bit Kaidan? I don't think Tequila wants to hear what I say about it… bad memories, you know…"

"Right… sorry about that corporal…" Kaidan says. We then continue wandering through the dark with only our flashlights illuminating the corridors.

"Stay alert people, I don't like this…" as Nihlus says this, I glance at the wall on our left. The flashlight on my helmet follows my eyes, while the flashlight on my gun is still pointing forward. There is some kind of growth on the walls, and I'm just about to yell for Tequila to watch for bugs, when I take a closer look and notice that the growth isn't like the black stuff covering the walls when Xenos are present. It's more like… moss? _Okay, I guess moss is kinda harmless, though finding it at these heights… that can't be natural_…

"Nah, me neither…" I say, then we continue walking for about a minute, only sound in here is the echo of our footsteps; "So… Nihlus… what do you think of the commandoes?" The Turian turns his head a bit, causing his headlight to dance on the far wall;

"I don't know… they seem like good soldiers, and for what I've seen they are good at killing geth… but…"

"But what?" I ask.

"Hmm… they just don't seem to trust other races… I wonder how they would work with John… or me… they do seem to respect rank however, so that shouldn't be a problem…"

"If you say so… but, ehh Nihlus?"

"Yes, what is it?" he is starting to sound like he's being bothered by some annoying youngster…

"I was thinking… could we take those four aboard the Normandy?" I was against it myself, at the start, but seeing as we resolved the whole "John vs. Sev", we shouldn't have more trouble… besides, I really would like to have all the extra-dimensionals on one ship… to prevent some sort of galaxy-wide case of mass panic… not that it would likely happen that way, with the panic and all, but still… Nihlus stops dead in his tracks, turning to face me head-on;

"Fisher… why do you insist on transforming the Normandy into a flying _freak-show!?_"

"Freak-show? What do you mean?" I ask, leaning against a wall, but careful not to touch any of the green plant-mass, now covering most of the corridors walls.

"Let me sum it up for you then, should you have forgotten; One, we have two Shepards on the ship, both the same commander in each their parallel-universes.

Two, we have you and Tengberg, both from a dimension and time where all of this" he gestures towards the air around us; "is a game, millions of pixels, and millions of people watching and controlling us.

Three, we have, and no offence corporal, a member of something called the USCM, a marine from a dimension where the races of this galaxy aren't even existing. That, plus the horde of insect-like monsters that followed her through whatever kind of wormhole she came through.

And four, there is me. I was supposed to be killed on Eden Prime, as you told us. Me being alive is a price I am willing to pay for changed canon, however, or whatever you call it.

And now, you want to add four people from a galaxy so alien to ours that it is hard to even imagine… or am I missing something here?" He finishes, voice sounding very tired.

"Ahhh…. No… no, I think you about covered it all… but we can use them Nihlus, I mean, didn't you see the carnage they had brought on the geth in the tower? They could tip the scales for us in our hunt against Saren."

"(Sigh)… I'll give it some thought… if that will make you keep quiet…" _Yeeessss!_

We continue walking through the darkness until we come across another large spiral staircase. I don't really like heading down a fifty-thousand years old concrete staircase with only flashlights as illumination.

"Careful down here… Ghosts in the dark…" I say.

"Ghosts in what?" Tequila asks. _Yeah, I figured that might sound weird…_

"Hmm…" I chuckle lightly, treading carefully; "Just something from a… was it the movie or the game?... Something called the Da Vinci code… can't really remember why it seemed fitting here…"

"… So that is what Ashley meant…" _huh?_

"What did she say?" I try to make my voice as… call it casual, if you will, as possible.

"That you and Nic were very strange at times, and that that was one of the reasons she… likes you…" For a short moment, my heart stop, and my body goes numb. But it passes quickly. After all this, I am not so worried about people knowing… but I'll keep my mouth shut to Tequila about Nic's… interest…

"Ha, yeah… that's… true…"

"The "she likes you" part?" Tequila asks.

"Yeah… we… you could say we are a "thing"…"

"But you have known her for years, as a person in a game?"

"Well… where are you getting with this Tequila?" I ask, while I am careful not to touch an inactive geth drone sprawled over the floor. The thing looks like it's been ripped apart… krogans perhaps…

"I… I mean; isn't… wasn't it strange to befriend and fall in love with someone from a game?" _Oh…_

I keep walking in silence for some seconds, considering just how to answer that. I am not going to mention the times, few times, where I sacrificed Ash on Virmire in Genesis. That will never happen in this life, and there is no reason for Tequila to know… well, besides what she heard in the med-bay from Jane;

"Well… consider… it was like… you know Star Wars… imagine waking up to Kenobi, or Skywalker standing over you… something like that…"

"So… it was more like a sense of awe?"

"Pretty much… but not the awe you might feel when being aimed at by a tank… more like standing in the presence of an angel… if that doesn't sound too cheesy… "I say, suddenly realizing that I'm rubbing the joint between my helmet and the rest of my armor's neck.

"It doesn't… at least not from you…"

"Thanks… perhaps… you could not mention this to Nic? He would never let me hear the end of it…"

"No problem there…" she says, and a silence ensues. It's a little awkward, so I decide to ask something that should probably wait till back on the ship, but what the hell;

"So… I hear you lost to him on the weights?" I say, a wide grin spreading on my face. I'm glad I'm wearing a helmet, because she would likely have punched me if she saw my face right now. The corporal sighs;

"I should never have taken his bet, but I just felt like pumping some metal, and he didn't look that strong… and he proposed that we could have a little bet. I said, "Oh fine, you lose, you take fifty"… then he countered, saying that he was taking me to the movies if he won… was he always like that where you come from?" She says, now walking besides me. I chuckle a bit, and then I shrug;

"Pretty much… he was what we used to call "A ladies man"… or, that's what I called him…"_ more like a skirt chaser… but I'll keep that to myself… _

"I see… why just you?" she says, and I can't help a chuckle, despite the circumstances… those being us located in a geth-nest… or hub, or whatever it is called…

"I… was the only one who didn't have a girlfriend... so, I teased him with his…"

"So… Ashley is your first… how old are you guys?"

"Me and Ash?"

"Nah, you and Teng- Nicolai?" _Oh… and a double Oh…_

"Well, I'm twenty-one in two months, and Nic is a bit older, twenty-three… why?"

"Just a funny thought… does he… usually like… women four years older than him?" Okay, so Tequila is twenty-seven… always thought she was older, given her badassry… but then again, Ash is what, twenty-five?

"Eehhhrrr… I don't… think so… he mainly went with the girls around him, and they were in his cla- wait… "like?" Why are you asking me about this?" I swear her face looks like Udina's when he raged at the councilors; All red. _What the?_

"Oh… nothing…. Just… forget I asked, okay?"

"Okaayy…." She then hurries past me, leaving me at the rear;

"Well, that was random…" I jog after the others, not really wanting to be left behind down here, when my comm. and the coms of the other members of the team, suddenly scratches to life;

"Beta team, this is Delta team, do you read? Over." Oh yeah, we gave each group a name. Needless to say, Delta team is the clone-team. The guys who stayed back at the colony are Alfa team. Nihlus taps his comm.;

"This is Beta team, copy all. Proceed. Over."

"We have encountered some kind of… growth down here… it doesn't seem natural… you people 'seen something similar? Over."

"Copy that… it's called moss… though it is strange finding it at these heights…Over." I say. Nihlus and the others hadn't discovered the moss-thingies, so I answer for them.

"I know what moss is Fisher, and that is not it." The heavy voice of Sev cuts through.

"You forgot the "over" Sev, you know how important that is… Over" I hear Scorch in the background. _Man, that guy is too humorous to be a commando…_

"Then what is it, oh all-knowing Oh-seven?... Over" Tequila asks. She still doesn't have that much patience for the clones, given what she knows about them.

"Don't know… I'm not a botanic, but this shit aint natural… or, what I mean is; It is not supposed to be here…over."

"Let it go Sev, we will figure this out later, you know, before the attack of the plants. Over." I say, barely containing a chuckle. Pissing Sev of is funny… when he is not within arm's reach of you, that is…

"Screw you Fisher!" he says, a hint of laughter is hearable in his voice. The other group then cuts the transmission.

"Fisher, next time you spot something suspicious, you report it to me, understood?" Nihlus says.

"Well, it was just mo-"

"Understood?"

"Yes sir…"

"Then let's keep moving… I see lights up ahead… must mean we are close to the area with the Varren." I had happily forgotten that we were supposed to hunt Varren down here, but now I'm nervous… the way "Roku" described them, they sound more like hyenas than "Fish-dogs". I can't really say that I get the time to argue with him, because we haven't even reached the doorway to the lights, before something the size of a large wolf jumps down in front of us. Per reflex, I guess, Kaidan flings it backwards towards the opening. When its silhouette becomes visible, I can make out four legs and a long head. Almost like that on a horse or a fish. Long teeth emerge from its mouth, often going taller than the top of the head. When it lands on the concrete outside, I can get a good look at it;

"So that's a Varren…" Tequila mumbles. I could have said the same thing.

The fucker is up again, teeth barred and fangs sticking out from its ridiculously big mouth. Its eyes are big and blue, and I can't make out if it has got two or four of them. Its back is lined with either spikes or something made out of feathers or something, and it's body is glinting vaguely, light reflecting from its scales;

_**Bang!**_

Tequila fires her new pistol, and the Varren drops dead, a smoking hole in the eye. _Pheeeuu…. Talk about marksmanship… that was at least twenty meters!_ Suddenly, the air is filled with angry howls and sneering. Apparently, shooting that one was a bad idea, according to the now… fifty, or so, Varren surrounding us on both sides of the corridor. Their eyes are glinting in the lights from our flashlights, fangs glistering in a most unwanted display of sharp teeth;

"Oh for Talos' sake…" I mutter. And then all hell breaks loose.

The beasts just flood us like… a flood of Varren. There is no end to their numbers, and I find myself wishing for Xenomorphs… at least you knew… no, why the hell would I wish for those bugs? At least these are stupid dog-thingies… I constantly fire into the herd, and the advantage here is that the narrow corridor makes it practically impossible to miss. Every shot rewards me with a howl. While Nihlus, Tequila and me are firing our guns, Kaidan is straining his biotics to keep the dogs we miss from coming close, throwing them back into the groups, or sending shockwaves into them, giving us a break when the entire left side of the horde is transformed into waves of flying dogs. I wish I had time to record this…

"_Just a quick hint; you do know that you have a helmet cam… that is constantly active, right?"_

"_Oh…"_ Well, that takes care of that part, but the Varren are constantly getting closer, and we are overheating our weapons more than we can afford to, straining them to the breaking point. _Fuck, I knew I should have brought that shotgun! _

"They are getting closer!" Tequila yells. I switch to my pistol for the I-don't-fucking-know'th time, and fire off a volley before the wimpy piece of crap overheats. At least the xenos had the decency to die after one shot in the head and then splash acid over their friends...

"Tell me something I don't fucking know!" I shout. I have overheated my guns so often, I've got blisters on my hands from the heat, and my knuckles are bruised from when Kaidan missed one of them, and I had to batter its brains out. That was really nasty. I enjoyed doing that in the game, but then you didn't have to watch as the skull cracked and the blood and brain spilled out. Finally, the creature just squirmed around on the floor, crying in pain and I stomped on its head to put it out of its misery. I know it sounds weird, but I always hated watching animals suffer, even when a Schaefer attacked me once, and the owner damn near tortured it… when I got over the scare, I felt sorry for the dog. I don't have that much pity for the Varren though, seeing as they are not even… well, mammals. Still, I would feel really sorry for them- if they weren't fucking trying to kill us!

"Alenko! Push them more back! We can't keep this up!" Nihlus shouts.

"With all due respect, _Spectre_, I'm doing my fucking best here!" _Wow, Kaidan curses… well, in this situation, who wouldn't?_

"Then do it better! We-"His voice is cut off by a series of blast, coming from the other side of the entrance. Suddenly, the Varren in that direction are starting to file out, focusing on getting out of whatever trap they are suddenly in… the sound of slicing, however faint, starts growing in strength till I can spot a blue shimmering through the crowds. _What the hell?_

When a Varren is lifted into the air, then receives a knife to its neck, I spot a clone commando on the other side, armor once bright and dotted with some artificial blood smears, now completely drenched in non-artificial Varren blood. He is practically a walking shower of intestines and organs, blood and grime. Behind the clone, whom I guess is Sev; I see three others currently busy with the same task. _Did I ever mention how badass these guys are?_

"_A couple of times, yeah…"_

They just took out with knifes, what we had to use biotics and guns to kill…. They are _so_ going on the Normandy. As the Varren on our side notices the newcomers, they for some reason break up and run away. The last of the dog-creatures climbing across the small mountains of dead Varren. _Man, did we kill that many?_ As we holster our guns, I look at the commandoes; currently busy wiping some sort of wrist-knife against their leggings;

"Fuck man, what are you guys doing here?" Tequila asks, using the wall for support as she pants heavily. I find myself somewhat exhausted actually, and slide down the opposite wall, leaning my head back and feeling the surges of adrenalin rush through me. My hands are shaking, and while I can control the right hand, I can't stop the fingers on the left. They constantly twitch and make spasms, scaring me a little… I'm too young to get that disease where you can't control your movements;

"We were in the neighborhood, trying to find the power cells, when we heard gunfire coming from the tunnel. When we looked inside, I could see dozens of dead… what did he call them, Varren? Dozens of them lying about, while a really big one was running down the hallway, almost filling it out. When we got down there, we could hear you guys, but the varren were blocking our view, so Sev… made a window…" The red-helmeted clone just shrugs and lets out a disturbing low chuckle. _Man, this guy may be a great soldier… but he __**is**__ creepy as hell at some points…_

"Well, thanks for the help… but that big one… what happened to it?" I ask, looking at Boss from my seated position on the ground. He resumed speaking;

"Let's just say, Sev had some "slice and dice" practice… it wasn't that pretty…" Boss says. Sev just shoots out his wrist knife, polishing it with some piece of cloth. Alright, so not only did the Deltas deal with their own objectives, they also dealt with ours… have we even accomplice anything since we got here? have I? I mean, I tried playing doc, and look what happened then… I don't even know anything about this place… I… just feel powerless… like I'm suddenly of no use to the team… _No, fuck that thought. Even that I'm here means that Nihlus is alive, and at the very least, I'm warning the council of the Reapers, and I'm adding an extra hand to the ship…_ And Nic is making good food. I got the Normandy a good cook. That's something.

"Alright, but with our respective tasks completed, I think it is about time we head back to the colony." Nihlus says. Boss just shrugs. I guess he isn't much for taking orders from other people than his old advisor… _funny I remembered him… and not the names of those guys…_

"Sorry sir, but we still need to collect that power cell. You go on ahead though; we'll catch up in no time."

As we head back through the corridors, Nihlus suddenly stops dead in his tracks near a bridge going over a small chasm. He turns his head, and following his gaze, I spot a human, a man, to be more specific. He is just… standing there, near a pair of concrete pillars. _What the hell? Has he been here all along?_

"You don't want to go down there…" he says. While I wasn't even aware we were going down there, I'm pretty curious now.

"And why is that?" Nihlus asks.

"Oh, I can tell ya, I could tell ya everything. How would you like- Gnaaaarggghh!" Suddenly, while speaking to us, the guy appears to have some sort of spasm, or intense pain inside his head; "That was a good one… very intense." I find myself having taken several steps away from the man.

"Just what the hell is wrong with you? Are you injured or something?" Nihlus asks. The man just shakes his head;

"Just… invoking my master's whip… helps remind me I'm still alive… you're here for the geth… you are not the only one…" For some reason, this guy is beginning to give me the creeps. I can feel the hairs on my neck standing. _There is something really weird going on here..._

"So, we are not the only ones looking for the geth? Who else is?" Nihlus asks. The man just nods;

"Not looking _for_… looking to get rid of… they are a thorn in the side of the- Gnaaaaarggghhheeehh! They are trying to get to the- Gnaaaiiiiihhhaare! Ah ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!" _Okay,_ _this guy is seriously wrong in the head!_

"This might be easier if we took him back to the others…" Nihlus says.

"N-no… I am to be down here… Fai Dan doesn't want me upstairs… afraid I'll start talking abou- Aaaargghh!" He then collapses on the floor, completely unconscious. Tequila bows down and feels his throat;

"Well… at least he has got a pulse… but what the heck was that about?" She asks, eyeing me in particular. She must be thinking I know something about this;

"Well… your guess is as good as mine… probably better…" I shrug. Nihlus just sighs.

"Well… do we just leave him here?" Kaidan asks. Sometimes, it's really strange how he can almost disappear during a conversation.

"No… I say we bring him back to the colony, then they can haul him down here again themselves. I am not leaving an innocent, if mentally sick, civilian to die at the hands of the geth." Nihlus says, before looking at me;

"Fisher, you carry him back, we'll cover you." _Hey what!? I'm to drag the weirdo all the way back? What if he has rabies or something?_ _Oh well…_;

"Right, right… mister maniac mover… that's me…" While speaking, I haul the bugger on his feet, then I drop him over my shoulders. _Well, at least he's not as heavy as Ash…_

"As long as he doesn't wake up'n bites me…" I say, trying to sound casual. It doesn't work… or at least, it would have worked, if it wasn't because a group of geth just appeared in front of us;

"Oh shit! Well, you said it yourself sir, cover me…" As I'm speaking, I run past the guys and dive behind the nearest column. I put down the guy, trying to make sure he lies somewhat out of the firing line.

"Suppressing fire! Corporal, concentrate on the shock trooper near the wall. Lieutenant, focus on the geth near the ledge, give them a push over the edge!" Either Nihlus just saw some smart move, or he just has a… not morbid, but… harsh kind of humor. Subsequent, Kaidan teaches the two geth closest to the chasm how to fly. The sound of their platforms bouncing between the sides as they fall to the… I guess they fall to the planet's surface… _that quite a drop…_

Before Kaidan can resume firing though, he is hit in the right leg by one of the geth's rifles. Fucking thing goes right through the shields, and Kaidan drops to the ground, clenching his now bleeding thigh. As he lies on the ground, another shot penetrates his armor, going right through his foot. A spasm of pain goes through him, and he squirms on the ground, trying to get out of the firing line;

"Aaaargghh! Fuck! My leg! Someone- someone get me… help!" at the last word, I notice him looking at me. So far, I've actually kept out of the fight, looking after our "friend", while **my** friends got their asses shot up. _To hell with that guy, Kaidan needs me!_ I jump out of the cover and close the distance between me and our biotic lieutenant in two seconds;

"Come on mate, I'm not leaving you to di- Aarrgg! FUCK!" I haven't even picked him up completely, before something very hot penetrates my… well, my ass. My left side feels like it's on fire, and can suddenly feel something very cold emerge on the site. I steel a glance to my behind, seeing the yellow fluid flow out of the armor. The medi-gel's kicking in, but it still hurts. I wrap my arms around Kaidan again, and drag him into cover. As I put him down besides the crazy guy, I look at my squad mates;

Nihlus is leaned against another column, panting heavily. Next to him is the mangled wreck of a geth, probably one he was forced to kill in close combat. He constantly pops in and out of cover, laying down a spray of fire that never fails to down at least one geth. His otherwise pristine spectre-armor is riddles with burn-marks and he only has one eye open.

Tequila is as aggressive as ever, crouching behind one of the horizontal blocks of stone, she grabs a geth that comes to near, hauls it over the block, and fills it with bullets. She then uses her foot to push away the trashed construct, before she resumes cover.

As I'm able to stand up, no doubt due to the medi-gel, and the fact that only my… well, bottom was shot, I edge my way over to the Specter;

"Well sir, seems like these kind of things just _love_ to happen to us, right?" I shout to overcome the constant sound of shots being fired towards us;

"I don't know if I should be impressed or disturbed by the fact that you are smiling after having been shot, and now you are engaged in combat! I truly believe you must be insane!" he shouts, then he pops out to scrap another geth with his rifle. I follow his example, zeroing in on two geth troopers that comes within sight, and unleashing a barrage on them. I do need to get some more training, because I only hit one of them, while the other hardly notices I aimed at him as well;

"Awww sir that hurts my feelings!" he does have a point though. _How can I be this calm in a firefight with geth? It's the first where I've actually returned fire on something… I should at least be a little scared! _

I grab one of the grenades from my belt, activate it, then I let it roll down the small slope just ahead of us. A few geth stop to observe just what rolled down in front of them. They start to back away when they realize that it's a small ball of f' you. The following explosion sends them flying into walls in the form of scrap. Tequila then increases the weight of one of the last geth by about a kilo, as she fills it with tungsten. Nihlus takes down the another one with a clear pistol-shot through the flashlight. But that one is followed by a seven more. Just as I'm about to say "to hell with this", a long series of… different shots sound from behind me. The clones have arrived. They quickly take down the last geth, their weapons penetrating the geth's shields with little problems;

"Clear!" the voice of Boss cuts through.

"No contacts." Nihlus affirms, and then he looks around, noting the deltas that just saved our hides.

"That's the last of them." I say, before I turn my attention back to Kaidan. The guy has stopped moving, and he isn't looking to good. A small puddle of blood has begun to emerge under him, and his eyes are closed. _Crap! We've gotta get him to Chakwas, and fast!"_

"Nihlus, Kaidan needs help!" I shout. I'm not about to lose someone already. Nihlus runs over to me, getting a look at our wounded biotic;

"He's not gonna make it if we don't get him to Chakwas right now! Fisher, let the corporal take the man, then you get Alenko to the Normandy and to Chakwas. NOW!" He doesn't have to say it; I'm already hoisting Kaidan to his feet hefting him across my shoulder. I can't help but note that he as well, doesn't weigh as much as Ash did when I got her away from the geth on Eden Prime. I take a last look towards the group, and I notice that Scorch is standing right behind me;

"Six two, I can't really… what is it?"

"Boss told me to make sure you got to the ship in one piece. And it would give me an opportunity to see it at the same time, so you lead the way, and I'll cover you." I nod.

"Fine by me." And I start trudging away, never faster than jogging speed. I may be able to lift Kaidan, but that doesn't mean I'm superman, and can run with him… impressively enough, Scorch actually manages to cover me all the way through the tunnels, nailing at least ten geth. When we emerge in the colony, we get a lot of looks, me running with Kaidan on my shoulders, while Scorch is right behind me. When we exit the tunnels, Scorch taps me on the shoulder;

"I don't have to cover you anymore, you know? I can help you carry him." I nod again, and we cover the rest of the way to the Normandy by hauling Kaidan's arms over our shoulders, kinda like that thing you would expect a drunken guy to do when his friends are carrying him home after one hell of a night. When we reach the ship, Wrex nods and slams the panel, which opens and lets us into the Decon chamber. While the VI runs it's… whatever it is, I look at Kaidan.

The poor guy is even paler now, and blood has started seeping out of the uppermost wound. _Fucking Medi-gel, why won't you stop it?!_ Upon entering the ship, Joker looks at us and starts saying something, then he sees Kaidan. He quickly activates the intercom;

"Doctor Chakwas to the med-bay, Chakwas to the med-bay!" His voice echoes across the CIC, and people make room for us to get through. When we reach the stairs, we switch so that Scorch carries the legs, and I grab Kaidan's shoulders.

"Come on, come on! Don't fucking die on me now Kaidan!" I sneer, panting as we get him past the mess hall and several startled crewmembers, including a now awakened Liara who's conversation with a now cleaned Garrus is cut short when he sees Kaidan being lifted through the hallway;

"Thomas, what-"

"Not now Garrus."

"Who is-"

"I said NOT NOW!" the turian backs down and returns to his chair with Liara. I slam the panel, and we enter the med-bay. Chakwas is already inside, putting on rubber gloves and preparing a lot of equipment;

"Alright, put him on the bed. Quickly, come on!" We just follow her orders, almost tossing Kaidan onto the bed;

"Alright, now you two out, and get Williams down here as fast as you can. I need her help here." Chakwas says, before shooing us out of the door. I activate the Omni-tool, and dial up Ash;

"Ash, get down to the med-bay, Chakwas needs you to help with Kaidan!" _And please don't be too late…_

"On my way!"

I turn off the Omni-tool, and head for the table. I notice Scorch follows me. Liara and Garrus both have a look of worry on their faces. I grab a chair, and offer one to Scorch. He nods, and sits down. _Oh wait, does Nihlus still need me?_ I turn on the tool again, and contact my superior;

"Nihlus, this is Thomas with Scorch… do you need us to double back, or can we take a break?" there is some pause on the other side, before the Turian answers;

"Not right now… don't get too comfortable down there though, my guts tell me I'll need you again. But right now we have merged with Delta, and we are heading back to the colony with them. Give or take, you have about an hour before we-" The transmission just cuts off.

"Nihlus? Nihlus, what happened?"

"-again… what do you mean "what happened?", is something wrong?"

"Yeah, you just… never mind… out." _well, that was strange…_

I notice our two aliens are looking at me and Scorch, though Garrus is mainly looking at Scorch… no, not looking. Starring is more accurate.

"What happened to Kaidan? And who is this guy?" He asks.

"We… met this crazy guy who kept ranting about something, then he… buzzed himself, ranted and buzzed himself unconscious… then, we were attacked by geth, and Kaidan was shot… I carried him back here while Six two covered me, then he helped me carry him the last piece of way… and that's it… oh, and I was shot in the ass…" Garrus's mandibles spread apart, almost like he's… I don't know, smiling or pondering? I have never been good at judging turians…

"Will he make it?"Liara asks. She doesn't really know any of us yet, but I'll try and make sure she feels at home here… sort of.

"If-" at the same time, Ashley is rushing down the hallway in her armor, tossing her rifle at me, which I grab, else I would be very sore, and then she runs into the med-bay. The door then locks. _Oh dear… you have to save him Ash… please._ I sigh, and look at Liara again;

"If both Ash and Chakwas are doing their best… I don't see why… why not."

"Yet you don't sound very certain… if you will excuse my bluntness…" She says, studying the table and her hands. I forgot how socially awkward she is supposed to be. That, or I've been misinformed by every single person who ever talked about her character back… back home.

"It's just… nothing was supposed to happen to him… I must have done something wrong…"

"You couldn't have known what would happen…"

"Perhaps…" I sigh, then take a deep breath; "My name is Thomas by the way. Thomas Fisher." I give her a wry smile. She tries to return it, but I can see she is a little… should I call it shy?

"I'm Liara. Doctor Liara T'soni."

"Yes... I... know that." At my words she seems to become even more nervous and starts fiddling with her fingers. _Strange, I thought only Tali did that…_

"Oh… I… Of course you know. How stupid of me… you were on the team that helped me out of the cave on Therum, right?"

"Yeah, though it was Garrus who carried you. I… just helped him… don't ask." My last sentence seems to confuse her a bit, and Garrus shoots me what I take as a wry smile with a glint in his eye. He then looks at Scorch, who is just starring at Liara like she is a female clone;

"So, who is armor-boy here?" Garrus asks before Scorch even can open his mouth. Or he may have his mouth open, I don't know; he still wears his helmet.

"Delta-62, at your service… Garrus."

"That's a weird name… but I also meant, who do you work for, that armor isn't exactly Alliance standard?" _Oh boy… perhaps Liara shouldn't be in here. _I mean, I am going to tell her at some point, she's the only one besides Joker and Chakwas that doesn't know.

"I'm with Delta Squad, under the command of Boss Delta-38."

"Are you some kind of black ops group?" Liara asks. _Damn it, now she has to stay here… oh well… it is as good a time as any… funny that I should quote Morrigan here… never mind…_

"_That is quite strange, especially since it would surprise me greatly, and disturb me even more so, to see her here…"_

"_Long time no hear… I guess… and yeah, I would prefer her to stay wherever the hell she is…" _

"Yeah, we are a part of the Delta initiative. Fifty squads like ours have been created with the purpose of turning the tide against- crap, I wasn't even allowed to say those things… so, yeah we are a task force… but we are not Alliance…"

"Then… are you Cerberus?" Garrus asks, and I can see his hands tighten a bit.

"What is Cerberus?" Scorch asks, taking off his helmet. He runs a hand over his bald head and looks at Liara. She almost immediately looks down and mumbles something I can't even hear. _Well that was random…_

"Cerberus" I say; "is a splinter cell of pro-human fanatics who looks to advance humanity above the rest of the races in the galaxy."

"Oh… well, we are definitely not them…"

"Then who are you?" Garrus asks. He sounds like he is starting to get a bit suspicious. Of course, given his time in C-Sec, he has learned to spot liars and people who aren't telling the entire truth right away.

"Delta Squad is… was, I guess, given our current location, part of the Grand Army of the Republic."

"Never heard of that…" Garrus say, now starting to really stare at the man. I decide to break in again;

"You shouldn't have either Garrus… these guys are like Tequila. They are not from here." He looks like he is about to fall off his chair;

"You have got to be kidding me! Don't we have enough of you people already? I swear Spirits, this is borderline ridiculous!" Next to him, Liara just looks even more confused. I can understand that. Must be like hearing an intern joke that makes other people fall dead with laughter, and you just don't get what's so funny;

"I do not understand… what do you mean not from here?"

"Well… I-"As I'm about to answer her, my Omni-tool flares up. I press the speaker;

"Fisher, this is Nihlus. I can't get through to John'Shepard; see if you can find out why. Out." Well, saved by the bell.

"Garrus, I'll let you handle this one. I think I've had my share of stares and disbelief. You coming Scorch?"

"Right behind you… Fish…"

"huh?"

"Oh sorry. I mean Fisher!" _uh…. Okay…_

"Have fun up there." Garrus says as we head up.

"Yeah, yeah… just, remember to ping me or something if there is a change with Kaidan.

"Will do."

We head back up the stairs and through the CIC. When we get there, Joker is actually out of his chair. He is standing by the entrance, and he isn't looking too happy;

"What happened to Kaidan?" he asks, while he is eying the clone.

"He got shot by the geth. Chakwas and Ash are with him now."

"Figures. You know, it's like everyone who get's send out of here, ends up in some kind of mess. First, Dawson and Jenkins embark on Eden Prime, they die. Then, Garrus embarks on this place, comes back covered in… something red. Then Kaidan goes out, he is carried back by you two…"

"Joker, perhaps you could stop talking about that? At least till we know Kaidan is gonna be fine?"

"Yeah, yeah… just, nail some geth. Okay?" he says, as he turns to walk back to his seat.

"Will do sir." I say with some smile in my voice. I should be able to accept the fact that Joker doesn't have what is called the "inner voice", who tells him when something is appropriate to say.

We exit the ship, and head back towards the colony. We pass the place where that guy got smeared, and I can actually see a large spray of gore a meter next to where he stood. Oddly enough, there seems to be the shape of a turian in it, marking an area where the floor is untouched by the blood shower. _Christ…. Doesn't even cover it… what was it John shouted after the Turian councilor had called him a liar? Oh yeah; K'eesh! I wonder what it means…_

I activate my tool, and send a transmission to John while we're jogging towards the stairs. _I really have to learn how to just use the head-phones._

"John, John this is Thomas. Are you there?"

Nothing. _What the hell could have- oh…_

John and the rest of the first fire-team, consisting of him, Tali, Nic and Jane are bunkered down, firing at something on the walls in the inner colony. Something is returning fire as well, and then I spot the man-sized geth frogs. Scorch and I run towards the others, while shooting at the geth. Nihlus, Tequila and the clones are nowhere to be seen. _Something is wrong here._

"John, hey John you Bosh'ted! Why didn't you answer your comm.?" I shout at him. The Quarian turns to look at me, and I jump back in horror;

"Jo- John! What the Fuck!?"

His faceplate, the opal visor… it's… gone! I can see his face, but… it's… green. Green and red, bloodied and filled with holes. Two red orbs are shining from where his eyes used to be, and where his mouth used to be, the lower jaw is now missing, and long teeth like those of… I don't really know how to describe it… they are ragged, pointy and scattered in no ordinary fashion or pattern. It's… like looking at a corpse. _ A very much alive corpse!_ His eyes start glowing even more brightly and now his mouth is like a lamp as well. A sharp and nasty screeching sound sounds from his mouth. He points his gun at me, and I have to fight his arm to keep it from my head;

"John! N-no stop! What the Hell are you… Aarrgg!" Suddenly, Tali is by my side, but instead of helping me, she, without a mask as well, sinks her teeth into my left arm, the long and sharp canines burry themselves in my flesh, and she begins ripping through it, nearly tearing it off;

"Ta- ARRRRGGGGG! GET THE FUCK OFF ME! HELP! SOMEBODY! NICOLAI, JANE, SCORCH HELP ME GODDAMMI- AAAARRGGG!"Tali is tearing away at my arm, ripping off big pieces of flesh as she simply… tears through the armor on my arm. Meanwhile, Nic and Jane are nowhere to be seen, and John is pushing down on my arm now, his Cerberus-enhanced muscles are way better than mine, and slowly, inch by inch, the gun nears my face.

"John… Please! D-Arrrrgggg! Don't do this!" the gun is now against my temples, and I feel tears running down my cheeks.

"Please…. Don't!" I almost whisper.

Suddenly, I see Scorch, Sev and Boss in front of me, but instead of pushing John away, they are grabbing my arm, forcing it away from my face. When I look back at John, I see the visor once again is whole, and the pain in my arm has lessened. I look at Tali, slowly turning my head at her, and find her also being back to normal. She is holding my left arm under her feet, and it feels like it's broken. I look back at John, who is now joined by Nicolai who is looking scared shitless. I then notice that I'm the one pulling the gun towards my own head, and they are trying to pull it away. I drop the gun as realization dawns upon me. _I just tried to kill myself!_

"K'eesh Thomas! What the fuck do you think you are doing!?" John shouts.

My hands start shaking, and my legs begin to give away under me.

"Thomas!" I faintly hear Nic's voice as I slip away, darkness surrounding me.

"_Thomas"_

"_Thomas…"_

"_THOMAS!" _Suddenly, I find myself in the void once again. All emotions are washed from me, and I find myself thinking; _"Well, this is getting kinda trivial…"_

"_Thomas, whatever just came over you… I don't know what just happened… about the time where you shouted for Shepard, something… assumed control over you. I was locked out… I could only watch as you drew the gun at yourself, and I had to make a physical shout for your friends to restrain you before you could pull the trigger."_

"_Is that so… so, the entire colony now heard your voice?" _I should be worried, but I just don't feel… anything.

"_Well, what would you have me do? Watch as you blew you own brains out?!" _He sounds strangely… frantic…

"_What happened to me… was that some kind of post-combat trauma?"_

"_No… whatever it was… it was foreign… some kind of… I don't know… whatever it was… I couldn't break its hold and hold you back at the same time. I actually couldn't even do one for very long… I was losing you…"_ Hmm… he sounds sad.

"_What happens to my body now?"_

"_Not your body; you. By saying body you imply that you are de- you are being taken to the med-bay, where Chakwas at the moment is sewing up Kaidan after successfully removing the bullets, applying SEMA to the severed artery, and supplying him with at least two liters of synthetic blood."_ So Kaidan made it… good.

_"Right now you are being… why don't you just watch for yourself…"_ and the void becomes the same kind of video it was after the train accident;

"Spirits, who got shot this time?" Garrus asks, standing up from the table and rushing to where the group is now opening the med-bay's door. Liara is close behind him;

"No one… Thomas he… tried shooting himself in the head. It was only because the voice alerted us that we managed to restrain him. Then he just fainted!" John shouts. He and Nic are carrying me towards the bed next to Kaidan who groggily turns his head to see what's going on. he follows us as I'm carried and laid on the bed. Ashley rushes to my side, trying to wake me up, slapping my cheeks, but for some reason, I'm not waking up.

"_And you are sure I'm not dead?"_

"_Positive. You are just out cold…"_

"What caused this?" Chakwas asks as everyone but John and Ash are being shooed out of the room;

"I have no idea doc. One second we are shooting at the jumping geth, the next Thomas's friend is shouting at us to help him restrain Thomas, and I discover that the crazy bastard has drawn his gun and is aiming at his own temples. I knock him down with my biotics, but he gets back up and puts the gun to his head. Then I grab his arm and try forcing it down, but it was like… like someone helped him pull the other way… the Tali came to and grabbed one of his arms, placing it in a grip between her legs, and the entire Delta Squad was needed to get his arm away from his head. All the while he was shouting things like "John no!" and "Please no!" I… I've never seen him like this before!"

"My God… that… has he been under much stress lately? I mean, more than usual? And who is this voice and friend you are talking about? Was it Tengberg?" _Oh right… Chakwas doesn't know yet, does she?"_

"Later Karin, right now, just give him the full scan, drugs, blood samples, everything. Find out just what the hell is wrong with him." _Hmm… so her name is Karin Chakwas… Always did wonder about that, but never enough to check it I guess…_

"Alright. Now, unless there is something else, I must ask you to leave commander… you too Ashley." Ashley doesn't move an inch;

"With all due respect Chakwas; I'm not leaving till Thomas is." _Hmm… love… what a peculiar bond we share through it…_

"Then… fine… just don't disturb me." And the scene fades.

I suddenly start feeling again, and something in my head is hurting like hell. I open my eyes, feeling the burning pain resume, and something cold and moist on my forehead. When the blinding light fades a bit, I can see the roof in the med-bay. The pain then lessens, and I'm able to think again. _Okay, just to sum up… I just tried, for no apparent reason, to blow myself away, and I was hallucinating… that can't be good… I wonder if it's the same with the guy we found in the tunnels…_ I let out a deep sigh, which immediately is followed up with the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, and a hand smacking me hard across the face. The burning feeling is then followed up by a tight hug from Ash. Well, actually it's more like a body slam, because half Ash's body is now sprawled over mine, and she is clinging to me as to prevent myself from trying again;

"Don't… ever… do… that… again." She says between the heavy breathings. I can't speak or nod, as she immediately forces her mouth against mine in a tear-wetted kiss. I am not even conscious enough to return it, though I am capable of putting my right arm across her back. For some reason, I can't move my left. I try lifting it again, but from my left side I feel only pain at each try.

After some time, Ash finally pulls away before she slaps me again;

"Thomas what the hell were you thinking back there!? Were you just gonna blow your brains out, why?! Please, if… if you have trouble… flashbacks or… hell I don't know, anything; Just tell me. I want to help you. I…I don't want to lose you." She has tears in her eyes, and more are steadily rolling down her cheeks. I finally muster enough strength to say something;

"Ash… I… I don't know what happened… I just don't know. One second I was tapping John's shoulders... or, I think I was, and then I… what happened… I… was being attacked. John and Tali… they were turned into monsters… like some kind of… I don't know… zombies or something. John was forcing his gun against my head, and I was fighting to keep it away. Then Tali bit my arm, and John had the gun against my head… then… everything just went back to normal… I don't really know how to… explain it, but it was like something… I don't know."

"I have not been able to find the cause, neither are there any drugs in your system that could have caused this… but you do have some… most unusual brain activity Thomas… like something dormant just woke up in your head… how are you feeling?" As Chakwas moves in, Ash slowly gets off me;

"To be honest doc? I feel like shit. My head is burning; feels like someone just emptied a bottle of tequila in it, before proceeding to smack me in the head with it, and I can't feel my left arm… other than that… just some burning cheeks from a more recent… incident." I try giving Ash a smile, but I'm not sure how well it turns out, as she doesn't really seem to calm anymore down.

"Well, I can't help you with the head, other than advice you lots of rest, and no leaving the med-bay the next twenty-four hours. As for the arm… well, it's broken. When Tali restrained you, you pulled your arm so powerfully from under her that the antebracii os… the bone in your forearm… snapped. The reason you can't feel it, is mainly because of the painkillers, and you can't move it due to the heavy plaster on it. You should, as I said before, remain in here for the next twenty-four hours… for observation and rest."

"Bu- but… Feros… I have to be there!"

"By the Maker, no you don't young man! You should count yourself extremely lucky that this friend of yours managed to restrain you and call on the team… else… "

"But… in the name of… fine… just tell them to be careful out there, and to bring Wrex…" _somehow, I feel they will need him… _

"If it means you staying out without further discussion… then yes, I'll relay that order."

"Doc… I'm not really in the mood for jokes right now…"

* * *

**To quote John Steward;**

**"Boom!"**

**Alright, I think this came out alright, but then again, I'm the author, and I'm not really in any position to jugde my own work... at least not from an independent viewpoint.**

**So, we have some freaky hallucinations, weird people, and more than two team-members out of commision for the moment. Truth be told, I had some doubts as whether or not to include the hallucination and the suicide attempt. I wish I could have made it longer, but eh, I think I did the best I could.**

**Don't forget to review, and tell me if this was a good idea or not. Other stuff can be reviewed as well, as I feel so _fabulous when i recieve positive feedback._**


	12. Humor and Tears

**Alright, I'm back again. I know, "How did he manage to make new chapter so fast?" **

**The answer?**

**"A wizard did it"... or was it a lizard? Damn, I can't remember... anyway, he was armed with a potato and told me to get off my ass and finish this before the weekend. So I did. **

**And, by now most of you have probably figured out that I don't really have the weekly release date. Rather, I just write, correct and publish the crap. Crap! I cursed! Crap, I did it again! Cra- why does this feels like the Knights of Ni?**

**Anyway, there will be something in this story that none of you had expected, I guarantee it. And some... (to me) kind of weird and such situations... but heck, I'm not gonna try and spoil the story for ya. **

**One last thing though; I try out something in this story which I think will help me a lot in the future, so just give the unexpected a chance, and tell me about it in the Reviews. Hell, if it turns out to suck donkey, I'll have to think of something else.**

**And as an answer to Anonymous:_ "Sorry dude, But the only thing I know about Dr. Who is that som robot called Dalek is in it... that's pretty much it. And DA will not be included. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. Hope you will continue to enjoy the story even though."_**

**Anyway enjoy the story.**

* * *

Humor and Tears

Normandy med-bay: 22:39 (ship time)

The med-bay is dark. I would guess the time is about 22: -something ship time, but I have no idea. Ash, when she made the gauze and plaster, was so brilliant as to leave on my Omni-tool, which therefore now is encased in five centimeters of plaster and cloth. I can hear the heavy breathing belonging to my "room mate" Kaidan, as he is sleeping due to the painkillers and the melatonin applied to his dinner. The stillness and the quiet in here… is almost unnerving. I have never been good at these situations, waking in the middle of the night, total silence and no one around. My ears always become so fine-tuned that I can argue with myself whether or not I just heard a burglar break in. Even here, on the Normandy with Garrus and Liara standing guard, I can easily imagine some horrible creature like the ones from my… hallucination, break in here and eat my eyes. Actually, there is a sound apart from the lieutenant's breathing. A small clock is tinkering away in the mess hall. Even to me, it sounds ridiculous that I should be able to hear it, but I have found myself listening to the same clock for almost… gods, how long… an hour? I can just hear it; tik-tok tik-tok tik-tok… and it just goes on and on. I can scarcely make out details in the room, mainly due to the fact that I have been here some times now. The thought makes me chuckle to myself;

"_Imagine that I should spend one of the main missions… in the med-bay."_

"_Well, at least you are still alive… and t'is a good time to think…"_

"_Hey Roku… I know, but… I just feel…"_

"_Left out?" _his voice hides a faint chuckle.

"_That… yeah… was there anything you wanted to… you know, say… just until I fall asleep again?"_

"_Well, first; do you think the name fits?"_ Hmpf… not the first thing I had expected…

""_Well… I don't think __**any**__ name would fit you, but… there certainly are worse names than that… so, yeah… I would consider it okay."_

"_You could also just call me the love guru…" _I swear, he _is_ laughing now.

"_Not going there again… and by the way… I have noticed something about you for some time now…"_

"_Oh, this should be good… what is it?"_

"_You have… become much more… guess I should say 'human'… "_

"_That so?"_

"_Yeah, I mean… when I first met you… you were this cold and un-feeling void… and now… hell, I would almost call you a friend… you have saved my life a few times now… not counting the train-thing…"_

"_Guess I have… "friend"… that is… a strange, yet… positive term… well, strange to me at least… it is funny to think of though… you were just supposed to be another job, another assignment… but now… I really don't want to part from you again…"_ he really sounds like he means it.

"_Okay, hold again on the touchy feely stuff, okay?" _Damn, that was probably a stupid thing to… think, but… I have never really been good at these kinds of talks…

"_No, it's okay… I know your psyche, your person… even your soul… not much to get there by the way…"_

"_Say what?!"_

"_Just kidding, just kidding!" _

"_So… my soul is okay?"_

"_Jesus man, I was telling a joke! You know, "ha ha"?"_

"_Sorry, it's just hard to get used to you telling jokes… especially since I'm the only one to hear them…"_

"_So… to change the subject… I… kind of have a confession to make…" W_hy does he sound… ashamed?

"_What's wrong? I mean… as long as it isn't because you are the one who drove that car… then I think I can cope with it."_

"_Well, it's not that… though it does have something to with you getting here…"_

"_Well, come on spit it out… I won't be mad."_ So, I'm telling a divine being that I won't be mad at him… when did logic die?

"_So… remember when I told you that I was the one who brought you back, just as I did with Ellehammer?"_

"_Yeah…?"_

"_Well… I said that… the part about bringing you back… and…"_

"_Will you just get to the point?... sorry…"_

"_It's okay… well… it… wasn't me… who brought you back…" _What… is he talking about?

"_What exactly do you mean by that? You are the f**king eternal being here!" _I almost shout at him, though I immediately regret it.

"_I know! But… I am not __**the**__ eternal being… so to speak… do you remember I talked about my predecessor?"_

"_Yeah, the guy who brought back… or forth, Attila the Hun?"_

"_Same guy… well… he was not just a predecessor, he was actually fired… or, more like evaporated from existence…"_

"_Can we just stop for a minute? My brain is starting to hurt…" _and his tales really are insane… I mean, he is telling me there is someone _above_ him?

"_That's the main… thing, I suppose… I serve a being on a plane much higher than me, a being capable of dusting entire universes, simply by thinking it… and he does not look kindly to power-hungry servants…"_

"_But you don't strike me as power-hungry…"_

"_I was referring to my predecessor… or actually, we were… you mortals would compare it to working next to each other… colleagues? We were what you would call colleagues, although we never existed at the same time, and yet always have we been… are you following so far?"_

"_Honestly? You lost me at "colleagues"… but… you do realize that sounds pretty messed up… and what did your… college do? I mean, that was bad in the eyes of your boss?"_ there is a slight pause before he resumes speaking.

"_Mortal men have a saying; "Deal with the Devil, and you shall meet him…" I think…"_

"_So… he traded with the devil?"_

"_In a way… in exchange for certain… services, he brought back one man from the early Middle Ages… a man of such hardship and… some would say evil, but I do not know… and planted him in the 20'Th century. He also brought a man from the future, although his knowledge of technology was erased, his visions of total world dominance were not… do you know who I speak of?"_

"_Well, the second one I can guess must be… Hitler?"_

"_Correct… and the first one?"_

"_No clue…"_

"_Let me give you a hint; big moustache…, killed millions of his own people?" _

"_Hmm… 20'Th century…big moustache, mass murderer… did he have political power?"_

"_Quite so, yes."_

"_I'll risk it and say Franco…"_

"_What the- Franco didn't have a big moustache!"_

"_Then who?"_

"_By Me… it shouldn't be this hard!"_

"_Just tell me."_

"_Who did Hitler wage war against?"_

"_The British?"_

"_D'oooorrrrhhh! The Russians you… incompetent… Stalin, he brought back Stalin… or forward, I guess…"_

"_But… why would… what would he gain by that?"_

"_Remember the deal with the Devil. In exchange for all the atrocities committed by these men, the other being would be granted power. It was his illusions that he would gain enough power to replace his own master… really stupid, if you ask me…"_

"_But he brought back Stalin and Hitler himself, so what do you mean by this? Other than scaring the hell out of me…"_

"_No… you haven't been listening close enough then… it was due to the deal with the Devil that he could do this… otherwise it had to be the "boss" that did the dimension and time jumps…" _This is a bit… 'Don't know if I should say humbling or a boost to my pride…

"_So, the master of all… took interest in little me?"_

"_Well… not really. It's kind of random who get's chosen for resurrection… I just decided where to dump you…"_

"_Well… you dumped me here… so thanks…"_

"_You are not pissed at me for holding this back from you?"_

"_Yeah, a little perhaps, but truth be told, I'm closer to wetting my pants than to shout at you."_ For the entire conversation, I've been completely still, not even opening my eyes again. I let out a sigh.

"_Hmmm… try lifting your right arm…" _

"_I'm sorry?"_

"_Just do it, you may be startled, but you won't regret it…" _and he's gone._ Well, that was… what should I say, awe-inspiring… terrifying?_ But I comply, and raise my right arm in the air. Immediately, I hear the sound of footsteps, almost to light to be detected, but they are there;

"…..Kasumi?" I whisper, careful not to wake up Kaidan. It has to be her; everyone else is asleep or on the mission. And as I thought, I hear the tell-tale sound of her cloaking being deactivated near me;

"God, I hate it when you do that!" She says, not very careful not to disturb Kaidan who turns over in his sleep. I open my eyes again, and I can make out two small dots of light in the darkness. _Seriously, she's got some creepy eyes…_

"Can't help the way I am, can I?"

"Did the voice tell you I was here?" She asks, irritation obvious in her voice.

"Not this time, he didn't. Just told me to raise my hand… and that I wouldn't regret it…"

"How would he know that? Never mind, that wasn't why I came here… I overheard some talking in the engine room… did you have some kind of nervous breakdown?" She drags the chair to the side of my bed. Someone must have moved it while I slept. I just sigh again;

"Wouldn't call it that… and neither did Chakwas… it was some kind of… either a hallucination or vision… though I hope it was just a fucked up hallucination…"

"Well, what happened?"

"How much did you hear?"

"Just that you tried offing yourself… so, that made me curious…"

"Wait… who exactly did you spy upon now?" I ask. I really hope she didn't-

"Just the commander and Tali. They were alone in there, and he talked with her about you having pulled the gun on yourself, discussing how they should handle it… and then she said something about breaking your arm…" _-she did…_

"Kasumi… people on this ship tend to have a thing called privacy… heard of that?" I am answered with a childish chuckle. _Damn, I hope she doesn't wake up Kaidan._

"Might have… but don't worry, they were only chatting for a short while before they had to go back to the planet. I think they are camping under the stars with the rest of the ground crew… well, minus Kaidan here…"

"Right, right, it wouldn't have made any sense if they had been down there now, makin- I mean, I am not surprised they are still at the colony…"

"You know, you still haven't told me what happened to you…"

"Right, right… well, to put it short; John, Tali and the rest of the gang had been transformed into zombies when I tapped his shoulder… and then he brought his gun to my head, and I fought against it… then Tali bit my arm, tearing through the armor, and John was closing in on my temples… then, I saw the clones, and I thought they were zombies as well. Then I discovered John and Tali weren't monsters anyway, and I was the one pulling the gun at myself… that's pretty much it…" She doesn't answer right away, but after some seconds of silence, she speaks;

"Hmm… sounds like you need a shrink… or two…"

"No… it was nothing like that… according to both the doc and Roku, it wasn't anything normal… Roku said it was foreign…"

"I'm sorry, did I miss out on someone? Who is Roku?" Yeah, she is probably thinking "Is there a person on this ship I haven't spied on yet?"… Bloody thief…

"Nah, you've already met him, sort of… my "guide" named himself after a character in a cartoon series I once watched… and I have to admit, it fits…"

"Kind of funny that it would be an Asian name…" She says, and I feel like this has gone on for long enough. She is starting to pry into matters not even Nic or Ash knows about;

"Wasn't there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"Oh, right… let me just get the… where did I put it?... ehh… in this pocket?" She is going through her suit at the moment, checking every pocket she has… and probably some non-existent as well for something;

"Ahh got it." She says, and places a small… what looks like a chip on the sheets covering me. I fumble a bit in the dark, and manage to find the little bugger again;

"Kasumi… just what is this?" I ask, holding out the chip for her to see.

"Me earning my keep, I'd say." Try inserting it in a tool or a lap-top, and you'll be glad you chose me for the job…" and with that, the sound of her cloaking reactivating emits from her location, and she's gone. I try and examine the chip in the darkness, but I can't see anything but the outline of the small square piece of… whatever metal it's made of.

"You know Kid… you make some pretty interesting friends…" Kaidan's voice suddenly comes from his bed. I look to my left, and he is lying on his back, starring into the ceiling. I just stare at him for some time, and neither of us speaks. Then he speaks again;

"It's… kind of funny, you know… I would probably be suspicious of you, thinking just who were you working for and so on… and yet, because of the fact that you told us the truth… well, and saved my life, I suppose… I trust you…" I don't really know what to say. Kaidan has been such a bro to me while I've been here, that he could beat Garrus in the bro contest… funny, thinking about how people called you gay if you saved him on Virmire, how much hate he received for his way of treating Shep on Horizon.

"I… thanks Kaidan… I don't suppose I need to tell you that the feeling is mutual?"

"No, you don't. Although I am glad to hear that I've saved your life at some point, though I don't really remember it very clearly…" I chuckle at his response.

"Ha ha haaaaa…. You are so funny Alenko; I think it makes up for me getting shot in my ass while helping you."

"Well, I do my best... No offence kid, but I'm gonna hunt down this Kasumi and teach her not to mess with my sleep."

"Sure, if you can find her…" there is a pause where none of us speak, though it isn't an awkward pause like most of the conversational pauses I had in my time. I then speak again;

"You know Kaidan… when I first got here… I knew I had to tell you guys at some point… what I…"

"What you went through? What you knew?" he asks, a hint of sympathy in his voice.

"Yeah… but… I was always afraid… afraid of… spilling the beans, so to speak… because… because…"

"Because you were afraid we would shoot you or lock you up?" he says, a faint chuckle following his question.

"Yeah, that may have been part of it… but also the fear of rejection… the fear that you would dump me on the Citadel, and I would be forced to just follow your adventures in the news, maybe even the occasional casualty… like what almost happened to Ash on Eden Prime…"

"Or me some hours ago…" Kaidan adds, his voice still happy, but with an undertone of something else.

"Or you, some hours ago… what would have happened if, and I'm not trying to promote myself or anything… and now when I've said that it _will_ sound like I'm trying to promote myself and… eh, to start over; if I hadn't been there, Tequila or Nihlus would have had to break cover and get you… then one of them could have been injured… or…"

"Killed…" He states very as-a-matter-of-factly…

"That… and… what would have happened when they met Delta Squad? They may have started shooting at each other… or when found out about Jane?"

"I wasn't there… what happened? How did the commander react?"

"How do you think? He met a human version of himself, a female even. He damn was close to fainting, but the fight I had feared never came, and we didn't lose hull integrity due to biotic death-throws or something…"

"So it went well?"

"I… wouldn't say it went that well… tell me Kaidan… how much of, well my history, do you know?"

"The stuff you and the commander told us in the conference room, that some eternal being transported you here and that you know all this from a game some guy named Hudson made… why?"

"Well… where Jane comes from… she… she fucked up a mission… got the other version of Ash killed… and when Ash, our Ash, heard that…"

"She went to town on Jane…"

"Almost did… it took me, Nic and Tequila to stop her, and then she just left the room…"

"What happened then?" he asks, his voice is now partially curiosity, and partially caution.

"Well, I went after her, and found her in the gym… if you will call it that… she were hammering away at the punching bags, almost knocking them off the hinges… I asked her if something was wrong, I know it was a stupid question, but I'm not used to dealing with that kind of problems… I can shoot geth, Varren or perhaps even krogan… but that kind of thing… I'm honestly not very good at it…"

"So… how did it go?"

"Eh… we talked for a bit, and I… well, I confirmed to her how I felt… and eh… we… eh…"

"I understand, not prying further." He says with a smile in his voice.

"_Smile in his voice? That sounds strange…"_

"_Yeah well, how would you have me describe it?"_

"_He has the sound of happiness for others in his speech."_

"_Yeah, that really sounds better…"_

"_I can sense some sarcasm…"_

"_You don't say?"_

"So… to change the subject back to that Kasumi girl… what did she just hand you?"

"Oh… that's a… I really don't know… I would need some light to see it properly…"

"Oh well, we're gonna be in tomorrow as well… might as well wait till then…" He says. And I'm pretty tired, so waiting does sound like a good idea. _Man, good chats can really tire me out._

"Sure, let's… let's do that… (yawn) if you…" I'm asleep before I even finish the sentence.

* * *

Normandy med-bay: 09:24 (ship time)

"Now mister Alenko, try telling me if this… hurts." Chakwas says, before she presses down on the place where Kaidan was shot in the foot.

"Auaaouch! Yes, Doc, that hurts…" Kaidan says through clenched teeth. Chakwas just shakes her head like a mother in disbelief over her children;

"Really, you marines surprise me at some points. You can have your hand shot through, and you just look at it and say "Oh well, they can grow me a new one." But the moment I touch you like… this, you become small fussy babies who thinks everything hurts."

"Ha, yeah you just keep ranting doc, I'm not one of your small scared ma-riines!" She just swept over and gave me a soft touch on the place where the bullet was taken out. Well, actually it was five slugs, but she just shut me up with a soft touch. _Fuck! That hurt!_

"Did you say something Thomas?"

"N-no… Chakwas… I didn't…"

"That's what I thought. Now, none of you are in a position to walk out from this room today, and I still need to do some more scans on you Thomas. The last ones were… inconclusive… at best…"

"So… can't Liara help?"

"Why, I don't see how Dr. T'soni's education could help us here…"

"I meant some kind of… never mind… So… what do you mean that the scans were "inconclusive"?"

"They seem to shift and change constantly… but that's not something I should trouble you with dear. Now, I'll go get some breakfast, and I'll have Thompson send some over here as well."

"Thanks doc. I'm actually a bit hungry. 'Guess biotics need more energy than normal people…"

"Quite right Alenko… now, I bid the two of you a good morning, and try not to let the bedbugs bite you, hmm?"

"That's something you tell small kids Chakwas…" I say, mostly to myself as she has already left the room. I just lie back and stare at the ceiling, contemplating what Chakwas just said. _Shifting… inconclusive…Liara… I wonder if Liara's mind meld couldn't help us figure out just what is going on here… but as far as I know, mind melding is pretty damn personal and not something you just do with strangers… or friends… by the way, I wonder if Garrus told her about my background…_

"So Kid… we're all alone now…" _If he shouts "Rape time!" I'm the fuck out of here! Ahh, but he would never do that._

"Yeah?"

"Should we take a look at that chip?"

"Oh… yeah, right…" I begin to check my pockets, as my armor is being repaired in the armory. I left the chip in my right breast-pocket, in my navy-uniform. My own clothes are only for when I'm just chilling on the ship. Right now, I only own three sets of clothes; my casual clothes, being my own and old from another world. And my navy blues, the official uniform of the Normandy, with its stitches and patterns and the small sigma of the Normandy; the SR-1 in white script with the red line under. Every time I wear this, I get so damn proud of it. Granted, I've only worn it once in public, and then I got to be insulted by a bureaucrat, doubted by a doctor, and shot at by hired guns… but still, it's a fine thing to wear. And lastly, what I wear right now, the casual uniform of the Normandy crew. The black and relatively but not too close fitting blouse and t-shirt, the dark blue pants with lots of pockets, and the solid shoes for walking around indoors. The shoes, of course, are placed on the floor, as I'm on the bed, but that's it. My wardrobe. And I'm content with it.

I fish the chip from my breast pocket, and place it on a small table that's been placed between us sometime while I slept. We both take a good look at it, as it is something I've never seen before. Then again, until a week ago, the only kind of ME-tech I had seen was the Omni-tool and the datapad… and this is neither.

"What do you think is on it?" he asks. I am pondering as well, but I'm pretty sure it's the schematics I sent Kasumi to retrieve in the Aliens universe… _God that sounds strange… better not say that to Kaidan… but why not? He already knows about the whole inter-dimensional thing, but it was the idea that only I should know about Kasumi… then I told Nic, and then I told John… and why the hell not tell Kaidan as well… who is he gonna tell? Nihlus? Nah, Kaidan is solid._

"If I have to guess…" I say, using my right hand to scratch my chin, now covered in black stubs after not having shaven in almost a week. Don't know if the docs on Eden Prime shaved me, but I was clean when I came to after the train-accident. _I've really gotta get a shaver… unless Ash like beards… no, I'm getting a shaver. I wonder what people use to shave these days…_; "I would say it's the schematics I asked her to… acquire… before we landed on Feros."

"Well… let's see… wait, _you_ asked her to get them? As in, you ordered her?" I just shrug and nod.

"Ha! Oh man, to imagine you as someone's boss… that's just priceless. Did you remember to tip her?"

"Hey, can we get back on track here?"

"Right, sorry… sooooo… do you want me to, or can you read something through the gauze?"

"Eh, you can have this round; I'll just direct and explain…" I grab the chip and toss it at him. He catches it and turns on his Omni-tool. He then, and by Mara, I have no idea how, uses the tool to read the chip, scanning it with some strange function… the tool lights up and gives a small _ping! _When it's done. Kaidan then looks at the tool again, and his brows furrows;

"Something wrong Alenko?" I ask.

"Just… it says "Property of the USCM here… what's that?"

"That my friend, is where the corporal is from."

"Oh right, she's a USCM marine… so what are these… data?"

"Let's have a look, shall we?" I say, and he presses the hologram-button. Almost immediately, a large screen, similar to the one I used to explain the Xenomorphs with, activates and hovers across Kaidan's tool. He takes it off and places it on the table, so that he can move to see better. I just stare: Kasumi has more than earned her keep, she's got us hardware… well, schematics for hardware, enough to take down Godzilla if it came to that. I ordered Smartguns, Sentries and plans for the UD-4L dropship… and she got us that… she's also got us plans for grenades, sniper rifles that, with a few tweaks, would outgun the mantis, Pulse rifles and even the APC… what we'll use it for, I have no idea, but she has covered us in gold!

"What… are these?" Kaidan asks, pointing at the schematics. I feel like I'm beaming;

"These, my good lieutenant, are hardware from 200 years into the future… tweak them to use mass accelerators, and heat sinks… and we have ourselves something that would make the geth crap fluid."

"Well… I'll be damned… and the big one here? The one that says UD-4L Dropship?"

"Uhhhuuhuhu! The jewel in the crown my friend. This dropship, if equipped with shields and a proper mass effect engine… is the fastest, deadliest and toughest motherf**ker of a gunship you'll likely ever see. Let me show you… here… equipped with air-to-air, air-to ground and guided rockets, miniguns and a 24mm main gun, seven cm of titanium plating, capable of going from zero to 200 k/h in ten seconds … give it an armature, and the fucker will tear the geth a new one. Besides, I plan to equip it further with some tech I'll have Kasumi collect next time."

"You sound rather… proud, don't you?" he says, a grin obvious in his face.

"Well hell yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Not that these aren't better than the mantis, if we can get it… but that's just it… who will build it?" _Oh…_

"Oh… I… eh… hadn't really thought about that…"

"Do you think the Alliance will?"

"Well, they will probably be interested, but they wouldn't be able to build enough of these fast enough for it to matter… still… they've got the resources…"

"You're gonna sell it to the turians?"

"The turians? The most warmongering race in the galaxy who tried wiping out mankind? Why, I don't see why not."

"That was… sarcastic, right?"

"Yes…"

"Then who? Asari?"

"Last time I checked, the Asari wanted to make love, not war… not that the Ascension isn't a big badass ship… but they would take too long… people who live a thousand years tend to take their time…"

"The Salarians then?"

"Could be… Valern seems to believe me… about the whole Reaper thing that is… are there other options?"

"Well… the Quarians are master shipbuilders… have to be to survive…"

"Yeah, they were among the first I was considering, but they barely have the materials to keep themselves floating, not to speak of starting to build a big fleet of gunships and such…"

"Wait… none of these things classify as more than gunships… what exactly do you intent on making that Kasumi retrieve?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh come on!"

"Kaidan… I'm not even sure if it _can _be done… so I don't want to go and get people hope up only for it to be smashed to tiny bitsy pieces when the big space squid attacks…"

"Alright, I guess I can accept that… but what about the gunships then?"

"'Don't know… neither humanity, the Salarians or the Quarians can do this on such a short timer…"

"Has it occurred to you to propose a joint effort?"

"Say what again?" I stare at Kaidan. Did he just say something really smart? Or am I hallucinating again? I look around… _Well, no monsters around…_

"Thomas… you _do_ know that this ship, for an example, was a joint effort and project by the turians and humans… right?" I could smack myself_… actually, might as well…_ and I do ye ol' facepalm. Kaidan just looks weird at me in return.

"Kaidan… if it wasn't because my ass would kill me for it… I would hug you!"

"Hey bro, no offence but I like girls."

"Sure ya do." I say and start laughing. Kaidan may just have solved a problem I've been fighting for some time now. Make the three races _fucking cooperate! _

This solution could also solve another problem, namely the issue with racism. If at least humanity saw that the Quarians not only could be trusted, but also were master shipbuilders and navigators, the view might change, and the Migrant fleet would find an ally in humanity. As for the Salarians… are they actually racists? _When I think about it, I don't think I've ever actually seen a racist Salarian in the game… I wonder if the whole "suit-rat" thing went by their noses… or whatever they have…_

"_Well, that is a good thing."_

"_Damn right it is! Now the only issue I can think of, provided I don't get anymore hallucinations, is to find out more about Jane… I'm sure something happened that wasn't supposed to. In the game, Torfan was a moon, if memory serves, and there were no children there… the name "The butcher of Torfan" was given to her because she slaughtered all the prisoners, even the janitors. But… what is Torfan here? _

"About girls…" I say.

"Yeah? Need some advice with Ash?" he asks, his face lit in a smug smile. _Damn, I hate that kind of smile, but I guess I started this…_

"Probably at some point, but I'm not talking about Ash…"

"Who then?"

"Jane…"

"Ahh…"

"What do you know about her…? I mean, on a personal scale?"

"Not much, haven't had a chance to really talk to her yet, but she seems… at a loss. Almost like she's missing someone… know who that might be?"

"Nope, both you and Liara are aboard…"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Never mind… I have another question."

"Shoot"

"Back where I come from… and Divines, this still sounds strange, Torfan is a moon… a military base… no civilians or anything…"

"A moon?"

"Yeah… What is Torfan… here?"

"Well, as far as I know, it's a garden world somewhere in the Terminus… why?" _Oh for the love of Mara! A garden world!?_

"_That would explain some things…" _Roku says. I can't help but give a small nod.

"How… how many people live on that planet?" I ask tentatively. I pray he says something like seven people, or a hundred millions… something that would make massacres impossible;

"Hmm… there are a couple of colonies… each I think has about a couple of hundred residents… "

"Military?"

"With Batarians… what isn't? But as far as I know; no. I believe it's all civilian… Thomas, you don't look very well…" he says, concern in his voice. _Hundreds! Hundreds of people! Hundreds! HUNDREDS! By the Devil, Jane has better have some explanation for this! If she… if she killed… I'm going to…_

"_To do what? Beat her up? Shoot her?"_

"_I was thinking more along the lines of reporting her!"_

"_Reporting what? Nothing has happened on Torfan in this universe… this version of it. Technically speaking, Jane hasn't done anything wrong."_

"_So I just forget about it?!"_

"_Would the Batarians care if some Batarian commander had massacred a human colony?"_

"_That's not THE FUCKING POINT HERE!_"

"Thomas… your face is really red…" Kaidan says next to me.

"Is it? I really hadn't noticed…" I say. I think I may sound a little mad, because he looks at me with concern in his eyes;

"Was that a chat with the voice… or another hallucination?"

"Drop it mate… I'm not going to tell… but yeah, it was the voice…" my voice is deadly still. I wasn't trying to, but I think I actually scared Kaidan. _Crap, that wasn't my intention… he was just concerned for me…_

"Sorry… I didn't mean it like that… it's just… I think there is something I must do… and I doubt I'll be happy with the outcome…"

"Is it about Jane?" I just nod. I guess Kaidan decides to drop the subject, and we descend into silence. After about two or three minutes, Kaidan breaks the silence;

"So… you and Ash…"

"Hmm?"

"You are together?" his question takes me by complete surprise. Even though the conversation started out with that… or was that last night? I really can't remember…

"Hmmm… yeah, you could say that… wait, actually; yes, we are together, and I bloody love her mate!" I wasn't planning to shout it like that, but I'm not regretting it either. It's true; Ashley Williams is the love of my life. The cynical would now say "the love of your life so far…" but if someone told me that… I'm not sure if I would punch him or laugh at him. She may be four or so years older than me, but hell; that doesn't matter a shit's worth to me.

"Glad to hear it. She seemed very distraught when you were brought in here, almost started crying and then she slapped your face some times. Nicolai mentioned that you never were the fastest with the girls… back home, but here you must have changed. How long have you known her…? I mean, as a person?" _God, that sounded weird coming from him… a person who only some weeks ago was nothing but pixels… just asked me how long I've known Ash in reality…_

"I didn't know her till I ended up on Eden Prime… apparently drunk as a mule… the docs said I had had enough to down an elephant, and then I saw her… actually she saw me first. It was Ash who brought me from under the rails to the medical facilities in the colony. So in a sense, she saved my life from the moment I got here… but I've known her about as long as I've known you… plus a day or two…"

"And you've fallen for each other in that short time?"

"Yup, miracles among miracles, right?"

"You could say that. I'm still kinda impressed with what I heard about you down there…"

"What did you hear? That I spent the first day talking to ghosts? That I sucked at the shooting range?"

"You threw her out of harm's way and took a rocket meant for her…" _oh… _

"Well, actually it was meant for us both, but… yeah, I didn't… I didn't want her hurt."

Kaidan looks at me in a way that makes me feel… I don't really know… it's not a negative feeling, but also it's one I've rarely felt before… it's… hard to explain… while Nic has been an almost lifelong friend, Kaidan with his older age and bit more experience in all matters… is almost acting like a big brother. _Yes, I know that sounds unbelievably cheesy, but it's something about his way of speaking to me, and probably others as well, that just makes you want to trust him with your life…_

"_I am really beginning to suspect that I am not the person you are telling this…"_

"_What makes you think that?"_

"_It's hard to be concrete, but the way you are speaking to yourself… almost like… nah, never mind…"_

"_Oh… okay…" That was close…_

"So… I know this is probably gonna sound incredibly stupid, insensitive and prejudiced, but is there something between you and Jane? I mean, is something blooming?" He looks pretty much like I would have expected; a big "WTF?" written in his face. I feel how my blood starts boiling with embarrassment;

"Why the hell would there be that? Do you have some weird plan of making everyone on the Normandy a couple?" He says, a really strong tone of wonder in his voice.

"Eh… no… and never mind… just forget I said anything…"

"No, come on. Tell me about this plan of yours." _Plan?_

"There is no plan… I had just noticed that Liara seems to… nah, that's probably just my imagination… and then there is Nic and… crap, I'm not supposed to tell anyone…"

"So… Liara is something, and Nic is something with someone… that's pretty solid…" He says, his voice has an undertone of sarcasm and a hint of humor. _He bloody thinks I'm trying to play Amor here! So, if that was true…_

"Lol Kaidan, if that was true, the Normandy would be either a love boat or a flying circus… speaking of which, I think I just came up with a name for _my_ gunship… if we can even get one…"

"First… what the heck does lole means?" I may look calm, but inside I'm laughing my ass off. Never thought I would meet someone who didn't know what "lol" means.

"**Lol**, my dear Kaidan, is an, to you, old expression. It dates back to the early twenty-first century and is short for "Laughing Out Loud"… funny that you didn't know that."

"Weird language you Danes had…"

"Oh no, you misunderstand me. It was American by origin."

"Oh… well, the second thing is… what do you mean "Your gunship"? I was under the impression that John was in charge here…"

"Yeah, well I thought that since I have some simulator experience from Homeland Security, and it was me who came up with the idea to get these things… I would get to name the aircraft and paint its logo… or symbol or whatever it's called…"

"Alright, next question… what is "The flying circus" you mention? I suspect it isn't just because Nihlus called the Normandy a freak show and such…" I stop smiling and become dead serious. I look Kaidan deep and hard in the eyes before I ask him;

"Kaidan… have you NEVER heard of "Monty Python, and the Flying Circus1"?"

"No… are they some kind of circus in a spaceship?" I slap my own face, and regret it. Kaidan couldn't possibly know what they are. _Well, time to educate my superior._

"Kaidan… we have work to do." _And by work I mean download and watch every single M.P movie ever made! "Life of Brian", you're up first!_

* * *

_Elsewhere - same time_

Sergeant Olafur hadn't really had the best two months in his life, more like the two shittiest months of his life…

He had been walking down the halls on the Citadel when some fucker stopped him and his girlfriend. Before any of them could react, the asshole had overheated his gun into the Sergeant. While his girlfriend had used her biotics to throw the man to hell and back, Olafur had collapsed on the floor. While she was bended over him, trying to apply medi-gel and call for help, the darkness had taken him. Swept him away like a warm blanket. He didn't feel any pain when the life disappeared from his body, when the medics tried to revive him. He could only watch from above as the red head of his love was planted on his chest, crying out to the world. At last, the turian medic had just given up, looked at Jane and slowly shaken his head. This in turn made her begin to punch Olafur's chest, desperately trying to wake him up. The pool of blood he had been lying in had been growing steadily until it just stopped. He still remembered her words, while she screamed and cried at him… or rather, his corpse. He had been forced to watch from above as the woman he had known and served under for the past five years were battering his corpse, crying her heart out. He just couldn't answer her. He could feel the tears pressing, but none appeared. He was without a body, so how should he be capable of crying? Then, the medics carried the corpse away, leaving the Jane to her grief.

"THIS WAS NOT IN THE PLANS" He had, body or not, nearly pissed himself when he had turned around to look at the embodiment of all people's fear. The Grim Reaper, in all his repulsive appearance. The bony fingers gripped his scythe with a strength that showed on the wood. His face could not be seen, and Olafur was quite content to let it remain that way;

"Who the… what the fuck is this?" He had screamed, his own voice echoed over the Citadel, but no one seemed to hear him. The woman was still kneeling where the pool of blood was, occasionally touching it with a finger, stirring the dark red mass of fluid. Olafur looked at her, wanting to tell her that he was still here. But he could not.

"Jane… please look up! Hear me!" it didn't work. His commander was more destroyed than he had ever seen her before. Her mascara was running, drawing long dark lines down her cheeks, and her entire body shook with waves of grief and sorrow. Running feet could be heard, and a turian as well as a Quarian arrived from around the corner. They stopped dead in their tracks when they spotted the commander;

"Shepard! What happened? We heard you had been shot!" Garrus shouted, quickly closing the distance between them. He stopped when he noticed that it wasn't Jane's blood;

"Wait… where is the sergeant?" He asked very slowly. His eyes never left the pool of blood Jane was crouching on. At his question, Jane had broken. She started violently getting sick and crying at the same time. Tali rushed to her side to hold her, and even though the woman did her best to comfort her commander, the only thing she had gotten out of it was human puke on her legs.

"Jane!" Olafur had shouted one last time before the scene grew dark. He had turned around, facing the being in front of him;

"THERE IS ANO-"

"Shut up! Get me THE FUCK BACK THERE!"

"THERE-"

"I SAID SHUT UP! I don't care who or what the fuck you are! I am not doing this crap again! Get me back to her! NOW!"

"THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE!

"No! No! No! This can't be happening! Not again!"

"BE QUIET MORTAL!"

"What?!"

"THERE ARE ALREADY THINGS SET IN MOTION. IF YOU DO NOT PLAY YOUR PART, ALL THAT THERE IS IN THIS GALAXY WILL END!"

"And I should care right now because?" At that point, Olafur could have told the universe to go fuck itself. And he probably just had.

"YOU WILL PLAY YOUR ROLE IN THIS, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"

"Like hell I will!"

"YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE! EMBRACE IT!" And before Olafur could respond, or even flip his now non-existent finger, the entire void became a bright white light.

When he had come to, he had been lying in one of the small public toilets in some kind of bar. Then he had noticed that he had been stripped of his uniform, and dressed in that weird coat that, for reasons unknown, was so popular these days.

And that was how he had ended up here. Sitting in his chair at the bar, he looked over Nos Astra's skyline. It was really quite a sight to behold, and one he had learned to appreciate during his time here. He wanted to get the hell of Illium though, but he couldn't afford the bloody ticket for even the lousiest piece of crap space ship.

_Hmpf… what a turn in the world… from renowned Alliance marine… to damn near a beggar in this… "New life"…didn't even get drunk on the job like Harkin…well, not too drunk… well, I was allowed to… Hell, Jane drank more than me!_

The screen in the bar turned on, and the Asari owning the place, a nice woman named Atheyta, had allowed him to stay, even though he hadn't bought anything the entire time he had been there. Something told Olafur that she could sense his downfall, how it wasn't even his fault. And the fact that he never ordered a drink must have made her believe that it wasn't because of drunkenness either. And it wasn't, but how would he be able to tell her that he had been re-incarnated or some shit like that. _Fuck it… I'm gonna get something strong… I need it…_

When he signaled Atheyta, she came over with a puzzled look on her face;

"What'll it be babe?"

"Give me the strongest… no, the second strongest thing you have…I'm not really feeling for the whole "being sober" stuff anymore… hasn't helped me so far…"

"Sure thing babe… Batarian shard wine?"

"Sure… just as long as it isn't Ryncol… I've heard it does nasty stuff to non-krogans…"

"Yeah… here you go. On the house…" He was surprised, to put it mildly.

"But… aren't "on the house" drinks for people who come here all the time to drink?"

"Yeah well, you seem like a nice young lad… well, young for an Asari, and it's not like you will drink me out of business."

"I… thanks Atheyta…"

"Ahh heck kid, cheer up. Go find yourself a girlfriend, get a job, start a family. Don't know how long it is you humans have…"

"Hmpf… I am only twenty eight, you know. That's… well, I knew this Asari once, name was Liara T'soni. She was… I can't remember, but she was in Asari years what I am in human years… Atheyta, why are you looking so tense?" The matriarch had stiffened along his line of speech, and he didn't really know why. Was it something he had said?

"It's nothing babe, you can tell me about her some other time. Right now I… I think I need to… get something to drink… water, that is…" The Asari left the bar, leaving her assistant to deal with whatever costumers that may arrive. Olafur looked at his glass; the green fluid swirled within, giving off a faint aroma of spice. _Well, down with it. _And in one breath, he had emptied the beverage down his throat. _Man, it burns!_

Sighing, the young Icelandic dark-blond-haired man placed his glass on the desk and looked at the screen. It was that ungodly annoying reporter; Ke'sani… Kalisa… or something. Westerlund News really had a poor hand when it came to choosing their reporters. At some point, a guy had actually thrown his glass at the screen when she came on, only to have it hurled after him by the biotic bartender. She may not like the woman either, but it was entertaining when a person had enough and hit her… or as a krogan once did; threw her ten feet across the street.

Now, however, Olafur was starring at the screen with a dull expression. He had been in this situation so often, he couldn't really remember. It was always the same. Trying to find some news about Shepard. He hadn't dared asking anyone, as he feared they may have said something like; "Shepard? The commander? Yeah, _**he**_ is… and that was the word he feared; "He". At some point though, Olafur knew he would see Shepard in the news, and he would either be crushed by the sight of a manly and masculine Shepard, or he would hijack the nearest ship and go wherever it was she was, if he saw Jane on the TV.

"Guð fjandinn!2 I can't just sit around like this!" He sneered under his breath, causing the nearest patron to shift his gaze from the screen to him. He noticed that other than the turian patron next to him, no one paid him any attention.

He got up from his chair, thanked the bartender and left for the main floor. Somehow, he had to find his way back to the Citadel, even if he had to make real on his promise of hijacking a ship. Wasn't like he hadn't done worse things in Jane's company…

He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a few turians and a volus were talking to a female Quarian. It wasn't like Olafur had anything against the Quarians, hell; he respected them and had served with one who he had considered among his best friends. _Tali… I wonder where you and Garrus are now... are you helping Jane come to terms with whatever the fuck happened? Am I just back in time? Will I meet myself? _All these questions raced though his mind, and he hadn't noticed that his had stopped walking all by themselves. For some reason there was something about the situation with the Quarian that caught his attention. _Why does this seems so familiar?_ He asked himself as he eyed the group. One of the turians left the group, looking somewhat distasteful with what was going on. When he had made it some ten meters away, the Sergeant caught up with him;

"Hey! Turian! I saw you leave that group. What's going on?"

"Stay out of it human, it's not fun business." Within seconds, Olafur had the guy against a wall.

"What exactly do you mean "not fun business"?" his voice had become very low and threatening, and couldn't be heard unless people listened in on him.

"They… she has made some debt with the Volus, Samor Kun, and now he wants his money… with interests…"

"Does she have the money?" Olafur now made his voice a bit friendlier. A thing he had observed from Jane on one of their missions, interrogating a Batarian.

"She has the amount she burrowed… but not the amount he wants…"

"What will happen when she can't pay?"Olafur was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol now, and it might have an effect on the way he fared with the turian.

"Why do you think there aren't any women in the group?" _Oh hell no!_ The Icelander thought.

Now he knew why the scene looked so familiar. He had seen the same thing with Tali in the back alley all those months ago. The way the turians crept up on this girl was the same that the pervy bastard had tried on the Citadel.

"That'll be over my fucking dead body!" The man said, letting go of the turian who hurried away, grapping his throat in the meantime. He might have lost his weapons and his uniform, but this marine had not forgotten his training. _Let's hope to God I can actually pull this off!_

As he hurried back to the scene, he scurried the hallways looking for… _bingo!_ He found what he was looking for in the shape of a metal pipe, about the size of a normal bat. _This will do… I hope…man, I wish I hadn't taken that Batarian shit… I feel a bit… angry…_

When he returned to the scene, he realized just how good it was that he had actually gone back when he did;

"So (tsk) do you have my money (tsk) girl?" the volus looked very confident surrounded by his guards.

"Yes… but I can't pay the rates. You didn't tell me there were rates when you borrowed me the money!"

"(Tsk) Learn your lesson girl. (Tsk) There are always rates… especially for your kind." This was when Olafur stepped in. Whether it was because he missed a purpose in life after having lost Jane, and didn't care about dying, or the fact that this scene reminded him so much of what had happened to Tali, he really didn't care. It could also simply be a combination of those two, adding to it the fact that he was pretty close to being drunk.

"And what do you mean by "her kind" Volus?" he asked, stepping into the light but keeping the metal pipe on his back. The group turned to face him, and the girl used the opportunity to slip away. _Well, that's phase one… what was phase two again?_ He was soon reminded as the volus now noticed that his "friend" had slipped away.

"I really hope you did (tsk) that because _you_ wanted to pay me…"

"That depends, and I ask again, mole man. What did you mean by "her kind"?"

"Quarians. Suit rats, thieves and vagrants. This one refused to pay me back the money I (tsk) so generously borrowed her (tsk). Now, are you going to pay the (tsk) seventy-five thousand credits she still owes me?" _That is a lot of money… she didn't look like she was very rich, and Quarians usually don't spend that much money on themselves… _

"Hmm… I don't really think I have the currency… how about we figure something out, and no one gets hurt?" at least he still wasn't drunk enough for his speech to be hindered. That was good- if he slipped up here, he knew, even in his less than sober state, he could end up in the gutter.

"Hmmm… (Tsk)… I don't know… (Tsk). Those money would have paid my… (Tsk) friends here (tsk) to avoid violence… (Tsk)… but now…" The volus simply turned his back to the man, and stated to his buddies;

"Search him."

_Ohhhh…. Crap... it did come to that. Well, let them try._

As the turians nonchalantly walked towards the sergeant, everything seemed to freeze. He took in the looks on their faces, if one could call them that, how their eyes beamed rage from being denied their fun with the Quarian girl, how some of them actually were armed. He didn't see any guns, as guns would probably make too much noise, but he noticed more than one small blade.

_Well, I do seem to make friends real quick, don't I?_

As the first alien moved in to grab a hold of him, one of those with a knife, he moved. The guy didn't even realize what happened before he was on the ground, clutching his face and screaming with pain and rage as the blood seeped from the gash Olafur had made right above his mouth, almost breaking one of the mandibles. The others seemed to stop, looking at the now pipe-armed man and their wounded friend. It was only for a moment though, as they suddenly launched at him, trying to pin him down and some even tried stabbing at him. When the first turian came to close, he received a smack on the head and a kick in the groin, if he even had one. The next one got the same treatment, minus the kick in the groin. Olafur didn't remember if it was like with humans, and he didn't really care either. It looked like it hurt, and that's what mattered. When he looked away from the lizard, trying to concentrate on the rest, he could feel the alcohol starting to do its job. Things became a little blurry, and while he tried regaining his focus, another pair threw themselves at him. One of them managed to stab him in the thigh, but was knocked out before he could retrieve his blade. Olafur cried and cursed in pain, pulling out the small blade and wielded it in his left hand, while his right hand kept a firm grip on the pipe. There was some blood on it now; a blue smear stained a large portion of the metal.

"Come on! I've got all day bird-brains!" He shouted at them, causing one or two to look at each other before one of them simply drew a pistol, a small wimpy piece of crap from his back, and fired a shot into the human's right leg, just below the knife-wound. The pain and shock caused him to almost collapse, though he remained in a crouched position, swinging his deadly bat at anyone stupid enough to come close. The turian seemed like he was taking aim again, this time at his other leg.

_Oh hell no you fucking bone-face!_

Switching hands, he now held the knife in his right, keeping the blade between his fingers as he stared the turian in the eyes. The alien suddenly realized what the human in front of him was going to do, and took aim at his leg. Before Olafur could even do something, let alone throw his knife, the turian fired his gun, sending the troublesome human to the ground. Now on his knees, Olafur cursed and blindly tossed his knife towards the turians.

He was actually rewarded with the sound of someone crying out in pain, and looked up to see the very same turian who had shot him, now holding a hand to his face. He seemed to be bleeding from a wound on the side of his head, clutching it while he shook from the sudden attack. There was also something else about the guy now, and the human realized what it was when his eyes were forced to the ground by two other turians who had moved in while the man was down, holding him in a tight grip, then pressing him towards the floor.

_A mandible… take that… you bastard…_

Olafur had discovered that by some insane amount of luck, he had managed to slice of one of the bastard's mandibles and the knife had continued through it and given the asshole a deep gash on the side of his head.

"Hold him!" The turian said, still clutching the left side of his face.

While the two turians held him down, the sergeant could see the approaching turian raise his gun at him again.

_I wonder if this is how it ends… I wonder if I'll just be spirited away again, or if I just blew my only chance of finding Jane again… provided… she was ever even here…_

He could follow the eyes of the turian as he picked up the knife from the floor where it had fallen after being removed from his face. He then looked back at the restrained human, an evil smile upon his face;

"That really hurt, what you just did… let's see if you like it the same way…" as he said this, he knelt down in front of the man, looking at the two turians who restrained him. Having made sure that there was no way the arrogant primate could hit him again, he moved closer in. Only to receive a kick to the head. The restrainers had not, for Spirits knew what reason, thought about restraining the human's legs. Simply because Turians didn't use their legs in martial arts, they had assumed it was the same with humans. In return, the turian placed his foot on the human's throat, almost blocking of the airflow.

_Fu- fuck! Was this part of the plan as well? _Olafur thought, desperately fighting against his restrainers. The turian with the one mandible leaned in closer, still keeping a foot on his throat and allowed him to get a good look at the knife in his hands.

_He is gonna slit my throat now… and it will all be over… Guð fjandinn…what I wouldn't give to have Wrex here right now…_

But the turian wasn't going to slit his throat. Instead, he pointed the tip of the blade at the humans cheek, letting it rest there for a few seconds, looking into the eyes of his victim… and he wondered, why they weren't full of fear, but of hatred and defiance. This pissed him of, as he usually liked to look at the fear in people's eyes before he had his fun with them. He then started pressing down on the blade, causing the soft human skin to break and allow small droplets of their weird red blood to pour out of the small cut. Having made sure that the human knew what was going to happen, he then pressed harder, finally completely penetrating skin and flesh.

_Is he… Is he gonna- Arrrghhhhh! Guð fjandinn! Fjandanum!_3 The pain he was experiencing now was even worse than anything he had tried since arriving on this over decorated hell-hole of an Asari world. The knife continued its course through his cheek, opening it like a scissor through paper. After what seemed like hours of torture, he hadn't screamed once. He wouldn't give the fucker that pleasure. After the turian must have realized that he wasn't going to enjoy this guys screaming, he retrieved the knife and delivered a hard kick to Olafur's head. Then all was black.

* * *

The Normandy: 12:37 (Ship time)

"Alright kid, I've gotta admit it; you do have a good taste in comedy."

"Of course I do! Who else, other than the Flying Circus could come up with Arthur's knights being slaughtered by a rabbit?" _man, I don't think I'll ever get tired of this film._ We've just watched the last scene in "The crazy knights" Honestly I still don't know the English title, as I simply asked Kaidan to search for the Danish title.

"I was more surprised by the police suddenly stopping a medieval army and arresting the king. Damn, gotta love the Brits and their humor."

"You don't say. And that, my good lieutenant is why they call it"the Flying Circus"… reminds me I've to cross something off on my "to do" list… I say, and make an imaginary mark on an imaginary piece of paper in the air. Kaidan just laughs at me, and then asks;

"So what was the "To do" thing you just crossed off?" I look at him and chuckle;

"Educating people from a future universe in the finer arts of British humor… I just wish "the Duck" was as easy to translate…"

"What's "the Duck"?" Chakwas asks. She joined us for some of the movie, and got a good laugh from many of the scenes.

"Not "what", but "who". "The Duck", aka. Anders Mattesen, is… or was…the single best comedian in my country. Seriously, I usually couldn't watch five minutes of his show before I had to leave the room due to insane laughter."

"You know Thomas; I'm not really having such a hard time imagining you laughing like a maniac." Kaidan says. I look at him;

"Oh Kaidan, you hurt my feelings!" I say in a mock sad voice. All the while I'm using my free hand to clasp my forehead in the "damsel in distress" kind of way. As Kaidan is laughing, Chakwas returns to her work and I just lie here. _You know, considering the fact that I got shot in the ass and got those freaky hallucinations; perhaps this isn't such a bad thing. _I'm spending some time with Kaidan, getting to know the guy a little better, and teaching him and Chakwas about humor. Seriously, they like some rapper-type standing on a scene yelling jokes about black dudes… _Humor sure has degenerated since the 21'st century…_

"Hey Kid, I'm receiving an incoming call. It's from Williams."

"Huh… wonder why she called you…"

"Could be my wining personality…" I send him a glare; "Or the fact that your Omni-tool is encased in gauze and plaster…" _Yeah, that sounds more like it, you cheeky bastard…_

"Catch!" He says, before tossing me his tool which I then continue to drop and catch a few times before I get it under control. I just hope I didn't turn the piece of crap of in my fight against gravity. I'm relieved to see that the thing is still beeping, so I press the receiver, or whatever you wanna call it, and hold it to my face. Don't know why, but you seem to have to have it in front of your face when you are speaking into it… or, what I mean is… ahh, sod it. I open up the call;

"Mjallo?" I say.

"Hey there Thomas, I was hoping to catch you awake. I stopped by earlier, but Chakwas said you needed rest. Fair enough, she's the doc here."

"Good to hear your voice Ash. 'Was starting to be afraid you had dumped me for Garrus." I say, chuckling while I'm speaking. While chatting with Kaidan is a good way to pass the time with both Ash and Nic out on some crazy mission, it can't beat hearing Ash's voice;

"Yeah well, I figured I would, but then I smelled his breath, and let me tell you, a real romance-killer" I can hear the smile in her voice, and it boost my… well, my mood.

"_You were about to think something else, weren't you?" _

"_Shut up Roku…"_

"Awww… I'm sure he is feeling terrible now. Maybe I should go up to the entrance and see if he likes men?"

"Screw you Thomas!" she laughs. _That wonderful happy laughter…_"I was… I was just calling in to… hear if you were alright… I mean, have you had any more… episodes?" her voice has changed now. It's more serious. She cares about me, and even though I don't want to be reminded of that… nightmare… it is good to hear that she cares for me.

"Nah, I've been good. 'Been spending the day teaching Kaidan and Chakwas about proper British humor."

"British? I thought you were Danish?"

"Born and bred. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy some proper entertainment when I find it, even though it was in English." She sighs into the speaker, but it's a happy sigh;

"Figures… we are out here risking our asses, while you dally away in a bed, watching comedies. So, what was it?"

"Ahh, you probably don't know them, way before your time… literally…" I say, trying to sound like one of those annoying hipsters, as they called themselves. _Hipsters…_ I wonder what that even means…

"Come on. Try me."

"Well alright, but don't be surprised if I could as well have said "Apple pie" or something like that."

"Come on Thom; don't keep me in the dark like this!"

"Sure, fine. Does the name "Flying Circus" mean anything to you?"

"Besides what Nihlus called the Normandy, while he forgot about the radio?" w_hoops! Nihlus, you better watch yourself around the Delta's if they were listening in on that._

"Yeah, besides that?"

"Hmm… I remember mom had some old disks with that name. Said they were something she had found on the extra-net, and then downloaded."

"You're getting hotter Ash… I mean, in the search…"

"Ouh, I was hoping that was meant about me…" she says, her fake sadness not very good at hiding something more… sultry? Nah that must be wishful thinking.

"Oh… well, that was… I mean… Stop looking at me like that you idiot!" Kaidan is just looking at me with a smug grin. _I swear if I could reach him…_

"Are you calling me an idiot now?" Ash says. I can hear some skepticism in her voice. _Oh snap!_

"No! No, no, it was just that _cheeky bastard_ to Kaidan who is looking at me in the most… well, not a very gentlemanly way… what I meant was… well, I…" _Oh crap, I'm not very good at this… I mean, do I even have the permission to call her "hot"? Not that she isn't, but we haven't even had a real date yet… oh screw it, might as well_;

"Well, yeah Ash… I was talking about you. Or, I was only talking about you if you don't find it… offending…"

"Crap Thomas, you can take bullets and kill monsters, but you can't talk to girls! Man, this is just glorious and awkward at the same time!"

"Well, I am only one guy!"

"Yes handsome, you are a _guy_. You are supposed to be able to talk to girls. That's kinda how the world works." _Did she just call me handsome?_

"Handsome and handsome, I haven't shaven for over a week you know?"

"And I like the rugged and somewhat primitive look of you with a beard, but I also meant under the beard… which actually tickles when you… is Kaidan and Chakwas still in there?"

"Yes…"

"Oh… then… Well, I can see the commander signaling me. Gotta go."

"Alright. And Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care out there. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you while I just lay here…"

"Don't worry, I will."

"'Guess that means I'm free to die right?" _What the-_

"Nic, you bastardo! Did you listen in on us?"

"… No…."

"Alright Ash, keep both of you alive, but feel free to put a bullet in his ass."

"Will do. I'll call you later Thomas."

"Yeah… bye." And the transmission ends. Kaidan has gotten his smug grin back;

"What?" I ask him as I glare and toss back his Omni-tool.

"Seems like I'm not the only one who finds your little chats interesting."

"Why- What the- Kaidan, you better hope I don't get out of this bed anytime soon!" I shout and toss my pillow at his face. Then, I just sink back down on my now pillow-less bed. _Am I in Heaven or Hell? I can't really figure sometimes…_

Normandy mess hall: 14:17 (ship time)

Where or how the heck Nic found sausages, I don't know. And frankly, I don't care. I found a plastic bag with discount sausages, probably for a lunch, in case he was out. Which, by some amount of luck, he is now. Splitting open the bag, I pour its contents on the desk and cut them in little pieces. A roast and some spices later, and I'm enjoying a hot meal. Mind you, preparing and eating lunch is kinda hard with only one functional arm. Anyway, I join Kaidan and Liara at the table, while they have already begun eating their lunch. Kaidan is having the same as me, and Liara… I have absolutely no idea what she's eating, but it smells great, and looks like I'll throw it right back out. she did give me a somewhat similar look when I explained to her what a sausage really is.

"So… yeah. A sausage is in principle a part of the guts of a pig, filled with its own meat…" She looked at me like I had just puked over her;

"Goddess! How can you humans eat such a thing?" man, I swear. The look she gave me. Shy or not, it was a look of complete fear and a bit of disgust at humans tastes.

"Easily; It tastes great. Want some?" I offer her one of the pieces of chopped sausage, whereafter she runs to the ladies room, keeping a hand over her mouth. I give Kaidan a confused smile, though I can't keep the laugh in for long;

"Was it something I said?" He just shakes his head at me, taking another bite of his lunch, flinching as he puts weight on his bad leg.

"Perhaps. You do realize that you may just have scared her for life… and Asari live long lives."

"Ahh, don't you think-"And as I'm speaking, the sound of someone throwing up in the ladies room can be heard across the room. I swallow, scratching me neck; "Okay… perhaps I did cross some line there… but Asari eat squid mate. That's almost even more disgusting than eating sausages… considering their, you know, head-thingies…" Kaidan just gives me a nod, and I look behind me. I'm practically scared out of my pants to see the Asari in mention standing right behind me. _Oh crap!_

"Eh… Hello Liara... sorry about that sausage… thing…"

"So… Shi'iani is disgusting?" _Oh, so that's what they call it._

"Errhh… is that what it's called? I mean… of course it isn't disgusting, it's just the… principle. You know, like saying sausages are disgusting because it's basically eating an animal from its own… I mean, it's just... Errrrhhh… just forget I said anything… I… sometimes I don't really think before I speak…I…"

"Let's just forget about it, alright?" She says, her arms crossed in a casual manner. _Did she just puke out the shy and awkward Liara?_

"Sure… "

As I scoop in the last bite, I notice Liara starring at me, actually kinda like the doc on Eden Prime did. I freeze with the mouth open and put down the food;

"What?" I ask her, in perhaps a bit too annoyed. She looks down at her meal again; the embarrassment is clear on her face. _Nope, the awkward girl is still there._

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare… just, is what Garrus says about you true?" I swallow a lump. _Oh… that…_

"Errhhh… depends if he told you I'm a homosexual Elcor, or a time traveler…"

"What? Why would- Oh… that was a joke…"

"Yeah, he makes a pair of those… and normally they suck…" Kaidan bids in. I look at him in my best mock offended way;

"Why Kaidan! I am really very hurt right now." I punch him. It's funny; normally hitting your superior would get you thrown in the brig, but Kaidan just holds his arms up in defense;

"Hey, I'm just the audience. Can be a tough crowd at times."

"Tell me about it… but, yeah… I'm a little special in my own way Liara."

"I see… and these… nightmares you have been experiencing… the one where you tried to… shoot yourself… how many of those have you been experiencing?" I scratch my neck, averting her eyes. _Damn, for a shy person she really knows how to make people nervous…_

"Only one so far. It was scary, to say the least."

"And Chakwas told me that it seemed like something dormant had been in control of your nervous system, and I was wondering if I could help you… if you want my help, of course." _Huh.. I wasn't expecting that, to be honest._

"Eh, sure… but aren't you an archeologist? I mean, I wasn't aware you were a doctor… in that way."

"Oh… that wasn't exactly what I meant…I have been giving it some thought, and… I could meld with-" Whatever she was gonna say is cut off as our comm. system crackles to life;

"This is Chief Williams updating available ground crew. We have been able to make the guy Nihlus's team found in the tunnels speak some more, and he seems to suffer from the same shit that got over Thomas. I'm gonna ask Fai Dan about it. This place is staring to give me the creeps. Also, the commander left in the Mako with Tali, Boss, Wrex and Sev. Tequila is tending to a wound inflicted in Fixer by one of those jumping geth things. He took some kind of slug in the head, but the armor stopped it. Jane is now in command of colony-based ground crew. Ashley out." Well, that was unexpected.

So the team has split up, and the toughest guys have left for somewhere else, and my girlfriend is starting to get freaked out over the colony. _Great…_ still, feels good to be out of bed again. I think I was starting to develop some kind of rash on my… back. Probably because I'm not used to being in bed for over twenty-four hours. _As crazy as it may sound, I want to go out there again. I need to go out there again, to do something, anything. Instead of just sitting here. _I turn my head back at Liara, currently chewing on what appears to be squid. _Oh man, I just can't get Gardener's words out of my head "Seems a little cannibalistic to me though, with their tentacle head and all. But they know good grub"… yeah… still looks wrong though._

"So… you were saying?" I return to her, resuming, or trying to resume our conversation from before. She gives me a somewhat startled look, almost like she was hoping I had forgotten about that.

"I… and don't take this the wrong way. I don't know how much you know of the Asari… I could… make a mind-meld with you, seek out the source of whatever is troubling you… if that sounds okay to you… or, if it doesn't, then just forget I said anything…" _Well, this is even more unexpected. Wait, wasn't that mind-thing only meant for Shep? Or in this case, the Sheps?_

"Errhh…. Isn't that practically considered… uhhrr… intercourse… among Asari?" I say, rubbing my neck as I feel my cheeks… and the rest of my body, heat up. _Is it really hot in here?_ I can tell by my response that I must have gotten something right, as Liara shifts from the color blue to purple;

"I… well yes, but… it doesn't have to mean… what I meant was… Goddess, this was so much easier in my head."

"Oh, don't get this the wrong way! I mean… it's just that… I am with Ash, and… I would never cheat on her… and I know that you don't intend to… man, why can't I just finish one _fucking _sentence? I… would like to have this whole mess cleared up, but I'm just afraid of… well, the whole "melding-thing"… that it will freak me out or I'm gonna panic or something… what if I become addicted to it? That can't happen, right?" _Oh Mara! This is embarrassing beyond belief. Why is it that every time I think that I can't climb higher on mt. Awkward, I just discover another hundred meters to the top? I mean, what will… how will Ash react to this? I'm practically considering sex with Liara… which some months ago would have made me jump, of course… but I just can't bring myself to cheat on Ash! Oh Fuck, fuck, fuck! What the Krosis do I do?_

"_I would suggest that you accept it. It would also give me a chance to meet someone else than you. I could show myself to her in the form of Avatar Roku, show her around your mind, talk with her. How does that sound?"_

"_So you want me to be nearly unfaithful to the love of my life… simply so that you can have a date with Liara?"_

"_Well… when you put it that way… but still, she could figure out what's wrong with you, since Chakwas and I can't."_

"_Sometimes I wish I was a Quarian…"_

"_Why?_

"_Because no words in English are powerful enough curses and swears to cover what I feel right now!"_

"_Was it something I said?"_

"…_Nnnnnoooo… it could just be the thought of having forced mind-sex with a girl who has only known me for half an hour altogether, plus the fact that I'm taken!"_

"_Oh… you could not just not tell Ashley?"_

"_Don't… don't go there. I've already kept secrets from her once, and that felt horrible."_

"_Sorry, sorry…"_

"_Fine… I'll fucking do it… for the love of Talos and the Devil's ass and !"¤!"¤!"%#&¤"…"_

"_I think it's a good thing I didn't catch the last bit…"_

I look back at the two people at the table. Garrus is still at guard up by the airlock. Liara and Kaidan seem to have realized I was having it out with myself… so to speak…

"Well… have you… decided?" Liara asks me, nervousness in her eyes shining like someone had made her a Jack-o-lantern.

"What, does it have to be now?!"

"Well, the sooner the better for your sanity, I'd say." Kaidan adds.

"I'll remember that the next time you're forced to cheat on your girlfriend, Kaidan."

"Sorry, just trying to help…"

"Well I don't really need people in support of this right now. I need some kind of alternative here."

"If you see any, let me know. I have no more desire to ruin your relationship with the Chief than you do Thomas." Liara says. I can hear that she isn't very happy with this, but still, she proposed it!

"Fine… let's just get it over with so I can kill the memories with any alcohol we have aboard…"

"Kid, you're not twenty-one yet. Not old enough to drink." Kaidan says. _God, right now I hate the big-brother act._

"Kaidan… Dane, remember?"

"So?"

"For fucks… Danes can drink, and does it, as early as age sixteen!"

"Well I'll be… why did I grow up on the wrong side of the planet?"

"Not my fault… now, shall we get this over with?" I grumble, and turn back to Liara. _Great, my first time, and it's with a blue alien woman… whom I don't even happen to love… or know all that well. _

Liara positions herself better so that she faces me completely. She takes my head in her hands and looks me in the eyes._ Hey universe, remember when I said fuck you too? Well, now it's fuck you fucking Universe!_ And Liara's eyes go black. _Oh Mara, have mercy on my soul! I never meant to cheat on Ash!_

"Embrace eternity!_" Oh Fuck!_

* * *

1 "The flying Circus" is a British show with humor darker than a black hole in the shade of another black hole. Seriously, go check them out.

2 God Dammit!

3 Fuck!

* * *

**Well... Shit... Thomas is forced to cheat on Ash, or at least, that's how I see it. If any of you guys can come up with something that would make him hate himself less, feel free to join in. Or, you could just sit back and wait and see what I've got in store for you guys.**

**Alright, I do hope you weren't completely thrown off by the sidetrack with that sergeant. Don't worry. As I said, it will make sense in due time. **

**As the last request, remember to review and share your thoughts at this, my first expiriment with two POV's. If it actually worked out, I've pretty much got this book and part of the next one planned out already.**

**And I kinda feel like I need to say this, as so many people have been telling me about this "issue". It's kind of a Spoiler, so just don't scroll down if you don't want to see it.**

**There will be no more new characters in this book. Can't speak for the next one though. Heck, the combination of John and Legion? Imagine the possibilities. That last part was purely imagination, so don't slaughter me in the reviews for revealing canon from ME2.**


	13. When plants are a problem

**A/N: Alright guys, a new chapter out already. I know, "how the heck does he do it?" **

**Well, truth is, Roku is doing all the work. The guy has litterally taken up residence in my head, and he is controlling my movements. Only bitch in this is, that a ghsot from a cartoon... doesn't know math from the 21'th century. So, yeah...**

**This chapter is mainly a continuation from the last chapter, where we ended with the classic "Embrace Eternity!" words. Funny, do you think Asari have to say that, or if they are just so selfcentered that they have to make sure people know what's going on.**

**Now, a lot of people, or 'a lot' and 'a lot' told me that I should have placed the 'Olafur' chapter another place, but it just seemed right to place it while T and K, along with C were watching the pinnacle of humor. Besides, imagine me, trying to retell a fraction of an M.P movie? That would be sacrilege!**

**Alright... there was one other thing I had to mention... Bohemia, what was it? Eh... I'll remember it later. Anyway, a shout out to my loyal readers and reviewers, as long as my helping hands; Exar Kun IV, Kaiya Smith, 1138, .Bolin (yeah, I killed him in 'boot camp'), gilmaxter and Thor-Axe141. I would have fucked up multible times without your support. And no, all my readers, I have not forgotten about you people. It's you, all of you, who keeps me going. Every review, every PM and comment that tells me to continue makes it all worth it. I can honestly say, thalt I'm always a tad nervous when I see a new review in my story. Some part of me always expect you guys to bring down the hammer and smite me for the errors and other stuff I may do wrong... Damnit, now I got all emotional...**

**But, anyways... here is part 2/3 of Feros.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**When plants are a problem...**

The only thing I can see… is darkness. This feels a little too much like being dead, though I can still feel my body. As I look at my surroundings, I notice several things, quite unusual in their own rights. First of all, the place I am in seems to be artificial. The ground is certainly not made from any natural material I know of, and for some reason, there is a light that follows my feet wherever I move. That's also when I notice that my feet are bare.

Along with the rest of me. _Oh f**king shit! I'm naked! Crapcrapcrapcrap! _

Of course Liara would turn out to be some kind of Asari pervert, taking every chance to look at naked men. And I wouldn't really mind if it wasn't because of two things:

First, I'm already in a relationship.

Two, I am standing naked in some kind of void. _Well, at least Liara is nowhere to be seen… and it's not too cold._ Suddenly, I notice a small slip of light along what I guess you could call the horizon. It's brief, but it's there. And suddenly, I feel a presence, just barely, and turn around.

Big mistake.

Liara is standing behind me… or, she was standing behind me, now she is actually standing in front of me, looking… embarrassed would be an understatement. _Well, at least she is still wearing her clothes. _Upon noticing my… well, my bareness, she immediately looks away, mumbling something I can't quite hear, but I could have sworn I heard the words "so small…" _okay, this is now squarely in the top three of the most embarrassing shit that's ever happened to me!_

"Liara! Would you mind telling me just why I am naked here!? I swear if this is some kind of perverted joke…"

"N-no! I'm sorry Thomas, but… well, this is the… first time I've done this... with a human that is…"

"Wait! Hold on a second here! are you telling me that you are… just how old?"

"One hundred and eight years…"

"That old… and this is the first time you… God, this is the most awkward conversation I've ever been in…"

"I think that goes for us both…" She says. I have turned my back to her, trying to… cover up, but I'm still tomato colored in the face.

"Well, can I at least have some clothes? This already feels wrong enough when I am dressed."

"I… of course… let me just…" and without I even notice it, I'm dressed again. But for some reason, it's my casual clothes, meaning my old twenty-first century clothes.

"Well, that's something…" I grumble. Kind of funny really, having intercourse with a young Asari. Most people would jump at the chance, but I just want it over with.

"**Ahh, Miss T'soni. I was wondering when you would show up."** A familiar voice suddenly echoes across the void. It's Roku, prepared for his "date" with Liara. Jesus, why does he have to mirror my pervy brain in so many ways?

"Who was that?" Liara asks, now being on guard. _Figures… for all she knows, this voice may be the thing causing the nightmares and hallucinations…_

"Just Roku… he, in opposition to me… really looked forward to having you in my head… for whatever messed up reason…"

"**There is nothing wrong in being a little friendly Thomas... Well miss T'soni, allow me to properly introduce myself." **At these words, a blue fog suddenly springs into existence and concentrates to form the shape of a man. A very old man, albeit, but still a man with considerable strength and power. He is dressed in fire nation-style robes with that small crown on his head. _You really had to go all out, didn't you?_

"**Why, I do not see what is wrong with greeting my only real guest for nearly a hundred years in person. I am the voice of the void, though Thomas suggested I took a name. I chose from his memory, a name rather fitting. The name of a spiritual guide: Roku."**

"So… this is the voice inside your head, the one Garrus told me about?"

"Yep… and he has a terrible sense of humor…"

"**I heard that…"**

Okay, so just… I have to wrap my mind around this first, before even considering what I do with Liara and Roku, now materialized in front of us in the shape of… yes, Avatar Roku… _geez man… and some people actually accused me of being too focused on details at some points… well, at least I didn't materialize as the ghost of a dead Avatar!_ Alright, so just to sum up; for some reason, I let myself talk into having a meld with Liara, which even I know is the same as… having intercourse with an Asari… _Ash is sooooo gonna kill me!_ And now, to top it all off, Liara is having a chat with a divine being inside my head. _Just. Fucking. Perfect..._And I really don't see any reason for this to continue for longer than absolutely necessary… which is as short as we can make it.

"Alright, sorry to disturb your little chat, but could we please get a move on?"

"Thomas… give me some time to collect my thoughts… this is a very… sensitive moment for me…" Liara says. And although I'm still pretty pissed at her, I can't help but feel a bit guilty. She is going out of her way to help me, and I just give her the harsh treatment… _Man, is this what Ash felt when she had just shouted at me?_

"Sorry… I would just like this to be solved as fast as humanly… or Asarily… possible… if that's okay with you."

"Sure… I think I know where to start looking…"

"Sounds great, let's get this over with."

"**So, you were able to find in seconds what I couldn't in hours? T'soni, you wouldn't happen to be attracted to eternal beings, would you?"**

"I…-"She start out, obviously both confused and a bit embarrassed by his question.

"Ignore that. Remember, "terrible sense of humor"…"

"Right… but let me just…" And without I even notice the change, we are suddenly in a long hallway, windows on both sides, like rolling films. _Man, this is strange…_ I then notice that each window is actually some scene seen from my viewpoint or what I would have to guess is Roku's viewpoint. Meaning I get both a first-person view, and an "over-the-shoulder" view. _Alright, this is actually really, really strange!_

I suddenly catch a glimpse of a very particular window, and without me noticing it, Liara and Roku has gotten beside me and are following the film. A film I know will have a harsh ending;

I can see myself, lying in the bed in my 'old' apartment. The timer is silent, and I slowly open my eyes as I look at it;

_Man, what a crazy dream. I don't think I'll ever be able to view the combination of octopuses, astronauts and music from the 70' the same way again. I mean seriously, what kind of messed up brain can do something like that?_

_Sigh, what time is it?_ My younger, by two or so weeks, version is starting to crawl out of bed, groggily grabbing the small alarm-clock on his desk.

_07:28!?_ I can actually hear his… my own thoughts.

_Oh snap! The time is already far too late for breakfast. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm supposed to be there at 07:30! _

_I rush out of bed, and brush my teeth while… performing the rituals of the bathroom. And yes, we leave it at that. _I wonder why I thought that… almost like I was prepared for myself to watch this… _nahh…_ sometimes I am dumber than I look. Or something like that.

_Oh fuck, my boss is gonna be sooooo pissed at me!_

"Yeah, he never really got the chance bro!" I say, a faint chuckle on my lips. I notice Liara and Roku are now looking at me. The me outside the window, that is.

"What?"

"This kind of flashback… is it normal to humans, or do you just have some difficulty grasping the seriousness of this?" Liara asks me. I scratch my neck and chuckle nervously;

"He… eh… well, I've always been kind of touch and go kind of guy… if it doesn't kill or injure me, I can cope with it… and as long as it doesn't do the same to my friends."

"Well… then… are you still mad because of the meld?"

"Mad?... Liara, I was never really _mad_ at you… well, a bid at Kaidan, because he teased me with this, but you just try to help me. And I am not mad, just… scared."

"Of loosing Ashley?" She says. Sympathy is evident in her voice.

"Yeah… she is the single best thing that's ever happened to me… and if I lost her, simply to get rid of some nightmares…"

"**Thomas, I am not really following why you should lose her?"**

"Could the fact that I'm having a mind-meld with Liara be a reason?"

"**Ah… but Asari do this all the time. This is not simply their way of reproducing, they also use it for exchanging ideas and such. Being able to fuse two minds is easier than explaining the idea of a mass relay in words. Am I in-correct doctor?"**

"Why… I had not even thought about that, but… yes! It is not just our way of… reproducing. This could… just look at this as exchanging ideas, and not as an act of sexual character, Thomas."

"Wait a- whoa, hold it!" I turn to stare Roku down; "You knew!? You f**king knew that there was no reason for me to worry, and you didn't say anything?"

"**I only learned of the reason for your fear now. Remember, locking myself out of Ash-related thoughts covers quite some ground. This must have been among the Ash-thoughts."**

"Wha-… fine… so, I am not cheating on Ash?"

"I think only if you view it as such." Liara says.

"Man, that's a relief."

_I all but jump in my clothes, getting the T-shirt on wrong, swearing and cursing as I pull the damn thing right, then speed down the stairs. Halfway down, I remember that I forgot to lock the door._

_Up again. _

_I lock the door._

"Man, I was tired there!" I chuckle.

_Down again._

_I practically jump on my bicycle, and then I remember that I forgot the helmet…. Fuck it! I can go there without it._

"Yeah, didn't do that much anyway. Certainly wouldn't have helped in that situation."

_Down the street, where the shopping centers and Malls are located, making this one of the busiest and most crowded streets in the city. Not really what I need right now. I get a lot of angry shouts and raised fists when I almost race down a street that's actually meant primarily for walkers, not cars and bicycles. I don't give a shit. If I am late by more than five minutes, the most raised fist I'm gonna see, is my boss' when he tells me to get a new job. _

"I don't remember having thought that…"

_He's kind of a prick in the way._

"On that, we can agree mate." It is starting to be entertaining. Now that I know I'm not side-stepping Ash, I can relax a bit more. Well, relax as much as one can when he is preparing to watch his own death… again.

_I get lucky, though, as when I approach the crossroads, the light is green. Only problem is, that the car racing towards me, halfway over, doesn't seem to have noticed that, in opposition to me, his light is red. So yeah, I'm this close to being rammed by some idiot who found his driver's license, in a Happy Meal. _

"_Fucking Idio-"I start to yell at him._

_Then I notice that the railroad, cutting across the road, has its light on red. Did I mention the railroad? No? Oh well, there is a railroad following the harbor, bringing goods from one end to the other. And oh, there comes the train, heading directly for me, and with no chance to stop._

"_Oh for Fucks sa-" _

"Oh boy. Here it comes!"

_Then all is black._

"Goddess… that was… "

"Brutal?"

"Yes…"

"_Well, that could have gone better" a voice sounds from… everywhere._

"**That is where I come in!"**

"Would you please calm the heck down Roku? You just watched my death again, and you sound like some kid reviewing his performance in the kindergartener-theater."

"**Right… but this is kind of special for me Thomas. I am not used to have a fellow audience when I watch these things."**

"What, you _watch_ these things? What the hell for?!"

"**What else am I supposed to do when you are with Ash?"**

"Fair point…"

"_What the- where am I? Who is this?!_

_Okay, now I am starting to get a little scared. A little? I died there!_

"_Yes, you did. But this isn't necessarily the end" _

_Dafuq?!_

I don't really need to watch anymore, as this is basically just me talking to a voice in a void.

Well… that was not something I felt the need to relive… I can't help but notice the suddenly very pitying stare I get from Liara. _Great, just what I need. Not only will someone actually have seen my last moments, they will also try to comfort me now… just great…_

"Meh, I've seen that one before…" I say and shrug.

"Aren't you the least bit of touched by watching your own death?" She asks. I turn around from walking towards another window;

"Honestly? I try to forget it. I know the old saying, "Remember your past to have a future"… but I doubt the guy who said that had tried being reincarnated." She looks at me in a way that makes me realize that she doesn't know that word;

"Re-incarnated… what does that mean?"

"Oh… Asari doesn't have that in your religion?"

"I don't think so… no."

"Well, what most humans believe, or believed… I really can't speak for faith in this time… but back in my time, most religions had the same aspect of reincarnation… to be born again…"

"Oh… well, I don't think Asari have that… I am not really the person to ask about religious stuff."

"Fair enough…" I say, and move to the window across the long hallway. Something about it seems familiar, so I concentrate and- oh… now I remember what this is. It's the scene after Ash had gone to the gym to take out her aggressions from Jane on the punching bag. Only this is not the bag. This is us kissing. I don't really need Liara or Roku to see this.

"I think we should-"

"What are you looking at Thom- oh…" Liara says before stopping dead in her tracks upon seeing what's happening on the screen.

"**This I have been eager to see."**

"Would you stop that Roku? It's really creepy when you gape over Ash... Especially when I'm here…"

"You two really look happy together." Liara says. Probably to take my mind of off the pervy ghost-man floating next to me.

"Yeah… you get now why I don't want to lose her?" I say after having looked at the scene for some moments, collecting my thoughts.

Liara doesn't answer, she just stares at the scene.

I can just watch as the screen shows me and Ash slowly releasing each other, still holding on to her shoulders. The looks we give each other. And now I can actually see what my face lo- _Oh God, I'm smiling like an idiot! I look like someone with Downs!_

"_Wow…. I certainly wasn't expecting that… though it was nowhere near unpleasant Ash…"_ my screen version says. This is almost like dreaming. Watching yourself, remembering it all, yet seeing it from the eyes of an outsider.

"_Well, you weren't that bad yourself Mister Fisher… although it didn't feel like you've had much practice."_ Damn, she really did feel it, didn't she? I am probably a terrible kisser…

"**Well, it did look like she enjoyed it. So I wouldn't know about that…"**

"About what?" Liara asks.

"**Oh, just Thomas thinking he must be a terrible kisser… not that I would know. I locked myself out of his systems when thát happened…"** Roku says, pointing at the happy couple in it. I had actually thought he couldn't hear my thoughts in here… _guess I was wrong…_

"**Yes, quite so… but I will try to avoid listening, if that will make you feel any better."**

"Yes. Thank you very much."

"Shh… they are still talking… well, you are still talking." Liara says. I have no idea why she finds my love-life so interesting… _hey, wait a second! _

"Can we please move on? I'm not much for sharing the few memories I actually still have in a private sense."

"But… fine… I just think you two look so cute together." _Hmpf… yeah, guess we do…_ I can't help but chuckle a bit at her innocent tone.

"Thanks doc… I guess… this is just a kind of awkward situation for me…"

"_Thomas… you are not a "what", you are a someone… and to me, that's a very special someone." _Ash's words bring my attention back to the screen. _Damn, she looks beautiful when she smiles!_

When Ash and myself move towards the elevator, the screen freezes, and I can see our intertwined hands as she reaches for the call-button. I just stand there for some time, focusing on the hands, as the faces are hidden from view.

"I wonder from who's eyes we are seeing this…" I say. It can't be Roku's, as he locked himself out, and I would be the POV-view… _so just who?_

"You do not know?"

"'Fraid not doc… by the way, _can _I even call you doc?"

"Well, I _was_ educated on Thessia's finest scientific institutions… so yes."

"all right, glad we settled that. Now, this scene is obviously not what caused my nightmares and the hallucinations… shall we move on?"

"**Thomas, you are partially incorrect. Your nightmare was not in any way supernatural or foreign. It was simply your mind finally coming to terms with the new situation."**

"Hmpf… 'think that's because I finally told someone?"

"**Could be. There is, I think, no way to be sure. But it does sound logical…"**

We move on, and for some reason, Liara suddenly stops in front of a screen. It's mostly dark, though there are several sources of light in the picture. When I move in closer, I can hear voices;

"_I hope we don't run into more bugs down here…" _The me-person says. Oddly enough, in this picture, I see myself from the same angle you would normally see Commander Shepard from.

"_Shut up, Thomas." _Tequila , she did have some emotional scars from Therum. _Hell, so have I… that dream wasn't exactly free of Xenomorphs… _

"Ah… this is Feros… or, it's here… I think this is about… twenty-five or so hours ago…" I say. Liara nods and looks at the screen. Then, I look to my left. Or, the memory does.

"Man, I remember I was close to wetting myself when I saw the growth. For some seconds I was sure as hell it was the xeno-goo."

"That is… what is "xeno-goo"? I do not think I have heard of it before…" Liara asks. I just look at the screen as the me-guy leans against the moss. _Hmm…. I didn't think I actually touched the creepy… what the?_

For a moment, it looked like the moss crawled along the wall, moving to touch me. But that can't be right. I bet it's the shock of all this making me see stuff.

"Thomas?"

"Hmm?"

"You zoned out there…"

"I'm sorry, you were asking?"

"What is "xeno-goo"? is it something of importance to this place… Feros that is."

"Doubt it Liara. Back where we found you, Jane and Tequila, among the monsters. Well, we call them Xenomorphs. And they have this nasty habit of covering everything in some kind of black substance. Mind you, this place on Feros was dark, and I could just see some kind of substance covering the walls."

"And you thought that the Xenomorphs… had followed us? Or spread?"

"Well, crazier things have happened."

"That is… true, I guess. But does this kind of plant usually… what plant did you say this was?"

"Well, I'd call it moss. Though it did have some weird colors in the light…"

"I see. And does this "moss" usually move?" her question almost finishes what almost started on Feros. But I doubt one can piss himself in this place… at least, I'm not trying to. But wait, did Liara say she saw it _move?_

"Eh… doc… did you… just say that… the moss… moved?" I ask in short and fast breaths. She looks a bit weird at me. Like I said something that she didn't expect;

"Does moss not normally move around?"

"Hell no Liara. Moss can't even grow in heights… but say again; Did. You. See. The. Moss. Move?"

"Well… yes. it moved towards you the second your back touched the wall… but are you saying this isn't normal?"

"Well fuck no! What the hell kind of plant is this then? It's not moss!"

"Wait! Did you see that?" She suddenly exclaims. I squeeze my eyes together and look at the picture, but I don't see anything.

"Ehm… what did you see?" I say, looking back at- _Oh fuck no! _

Where Liara's blue Asari face was before, now some kind of… fleshy pudding with teeth appears. It's… _Oh crap! Not again! _Her eyes have fallen out their sockets, and every last bit of skin on her face has cracked of, leaving her bone and flesh. The blood and saliva is seeping from her mouth, and her mouth is stretching open to unnatural heights.

_Mother of Talos, no! _

"Roku! What the… Roku?" the blue ghost is gone. The bastard left me… _HE LEFT ME!_

"Fuck! Liara! Listen! Come back to yourself! This…" I can't really say anymore, as the… thing… just stands there, looking at me with empty sockets. Her hands then start erupting from her gloves, causing them to rip through the otherwise hard material. Upon exiting their gloves, her fingers start… growing! They grow into fucking claws! _OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK! _

For some reason, she just stands there, her head tilted as her throat starts… _Oh mother of God! _

Her throat… her entire neck from the shoulders to the chin… breaks open. _it fucking breaks open! But… this… this can't be happening!_

As her body stops twitching, I can see something… moving inside her throat… like… _Oh GOD!_

Long tendrils erupt from her eyes and her throat, causing me to throw up on the floor.

Normandy mess hall: 14:22 (ship time)

_Just what can they be doing? _Kaidan thinks, as he keeps an eye on the pair in front of him. Liara, the Asari the team had rescued from Therum, and Thomas, his fellow human from another time and dimension, haven't moved an inch since the… _Guess you could call it therapy_ He thinks, began. Scorch, the clone with the funny attitude was down earlier, informing him that he was taking the guard along with Garrus. The pair had actually, once they had gotten past the natural barriers, taken a liking to each other, and Kaidan could only smile as he thought about how the commando and the Turian must be up there, swapping war-stories. Both of them had been in some thick situations, he was sure of that.

_And here I am, playing nurse for two people thinking they are having it out… should I have told Thomas about this not actually being sex? Nah, let him have his fun figuring it out. I'll just fake ignorance and say "Oh… so they can do that as well?" _

There is some movement from Thomas. A faint but still visible sneer is visible on his face, then followed by what Kaidan would have sworn was a look of total fear.

_Well, at least he has Liara with him… and that ghost guy. There shouldn't be any trouble… wonder If you can shoot something that occupies your mind?_

"Li- Liara! What… oh shit!" I say, crawling backwards as some kind of… green liquid suddenly flies from her throat, strike the ground where I was just before. I can hear the sound of whatever it is, etching into the ground. _Holy fuck! She is spitting acid at me!_

"Liara! None of this is real! Snap out of it!" I yell to the walking corpse. _Where the FUCK is Roku when I need him?!_

Oh shit!

Liara, the now… I don't even know what to describe her as, just threw up at me again. This time, she got too close. I can actually smell the shit she is throwing at me now. It burns my nostrils, and I just continue crawling backwards. _None of this is real! None of this is real! NONE OF THIS IS RE-ARRGGHHH!_

For some reason, Liara is not of a similar opinion. That could be because she just hit my left foot with whatever acid she is throwing at me. The green liquid is already through my shoes, and the pain is excruciating. The flesh on my foot is steaming, boiling away, and no matter how vigorously I hit it and wipe it with my sleeve, I can't get the acid of. _Fucking Shit! Argh hahahaha! It hurts!_

When I can open my eyes again, finally able to look at her despite the all-blinding pain. The walking corpse of my former crewmate has stopped walking, and is now just… standing there, a hungry grin on her face. Or, what's left of it.

"ROKU!"

Normandy mess hall: 14:29 (ship time)

Kaidan looks at Thomas, the young man's features now strained with what looks like pain, and his left foot has started kicking against the table's underside. For some reason, Liara's facial expression hasn't changed, so Kaidan simply assumes that Thomas must be dealing with some bad memories. Chakwas has left the med-bay, and has joined him at the table, overseeing the pair as the therapy drags on.

Kaidan finishes his meal, and upon placing the plate in the dishwasher, he hears some shuffling in the main area where the entire thing is taking place. Upon looking, he nearly drops his plate on the floor in shock: Thomas, until now pretty calm, has jolted out of his chair and is dragging himself backwards on the floor, closed eyes turned in Kaidan's direction.

"Whoa! Chakwas, what the heck just happened?!" He shouts, tossing his stuff in the sink, before he rushes to the table. Liara is still sitting firm, though Kaidan now notices a strained expression on her face.

"Lord if I know! He just jumped his chair and started crawling backwards! Look at his face, he is in a state of shock!"

"Did the therapy go wrong?" he asks as he helps the older doctor restrain the now kicking marine.

"_**He is experiencing another hallucination! Only this time, being already inside his head, it is much more powerful! You have to try and wake him up before his mind kills him!"**_

"Lord and Maker! What was that!?" Chakwas nearly screams, though to her credit, she only shouts it.

"Thomas's "angel on the shoulder"! We have to wake him up now! Get Scorch down here!" Chakwas doesn't acknowledge his words by other means than activating her Omni-tool;

"Scorch! Get down to the mess hall now! Emergency!"

"Roger that! On my way!" the clone shouts back through the comm. The doctor and the lieutenant then proceeds to try waking the young man up. This was definitely not something Chakwas had been educated to handle.

Still on my ass, I continue dragging myself backwards while the burning and searing pain continues to eat at my foot.

"Liara! STOP! PLEASE, YOU CAN STOP THIS!" the walking corpse doesn't even stop at my words this time. It simply keeps walking forward with outstretched hands with long claws. _Mother of! THIS IS NOT REAL! COME ON BRAIN, THIS IS NOT REAL! _Apparently, my brain decides to side with the walking nightmare in front of me, showing no signs of waking up as it did with the scenario with John and Tali.

_FUUUUCK!_

Liara's body is now almost upon me, and I realize I won't get away crawling on my back. I try to get up, only to feel the insane pain that comes from trying to use a now eaten and dissolved foot to support my weight on. the long hallway passes by me as I hump down the corridor, pictures and films rolling by me. _This is like some kind of bizarre nightmare! All I need now is a fucking clown with fa- no, scratch that!_ I can hear Liara's steps closing in, each step sounding higher and higher.

Normandy mess hall: 14:35 (ship time)

"Reporting for- what the hell?" Scorch states as he enters the mess hall. He immediately spots the lieutenant and the ship's doctor trying to restrain and wake up the young man with the very strange behavior, knowing about them and taking it all so calmly. The young woman, the one they call Tequila, did not behave as nice towards him and his squad mates as the young man.

"Scorch! Get over here! We have to wake him up, but we can't get through."

"Did you try kicking him in the groin?" the commando asks. It may to him seem a normal way to wake people up, but Kaidan isn't so sure it's a good idea…

"Why is that the first thing that comes to mind for you?!" The Biotic asks. Beneath him, Thomas has begun squirming. _This is bad. _Kaidan thinks.

"Because no one can stay asleep when you do that!"

"Fine! Just do something!" Chakwas shouts, much to the surprise of Kaidan. _Did Chakwas just tell Scorch to kick Thomas in the nuts?_ The clone follows her words up with a solid boot planted between Thomas legs. It earns him a grunt of pain, but no further reaction.

"Dammit!" he shouts. _How the hell can someone stay asleep after being kicked in the onions?_

"Fuck!... Fuck…. Fuck…" with each step, the pain in my left foot is even worse, like someone is drilling my leg with a red-hot bar of iron.

Suddenly, I can feel her breath behind me, the feet are now giving away her presence through the sheer vibrations her feet causes in the ground. _She is right behind me… _

"Roku! Where the Fu- u-uurrkkk!"

Suddenly, a pair of hands with long sharp claws is fastened around my neck, cutting of the air supply. I can't even get enough air through for a scream, as the long and rotting fingers close around my throat. I can suddenly feel something that resembles a jellyfish on my neck, and I realize she is sliding her tendrils against my neck. Whether it is her eyes, or her… throat, it is the most disgusting feeling I've ever experienced.

My brain is starting to hurt, and for some reason, my crotch is almost causing me to double over, but Liara's deadly and strong grip prevents that. _I… need air! _I jab my elbow backwards, hitting Liara where any normal human would normally double over and throw up. Liara… doesn't flinch. _What the hell?! _

"C- com… onnnn! L-rrheeet me ghhooo!" I choke out with my remaining air, while tears are coming to my eyes. _Is.. is this how it ends? Killed by my own mentally retarded brain?_

The silence that follows, only broken by my struggling and my foot's shuffling on the floor, seems to answer for me.

_Great… never… figure it would… end… like this…_ I chuckle inside my own head. _So, is this what they call "laugh of the noose"? figures… of course I end up killed by my own brain… I mean, what more… fitting way… is there… to… go? I was always of the thought that I would be shot… geth, or perhaps even the collectors… would… have been… interesting… to see those… in… real… _Everything turns black.

Normandy med-bay: 14:40 (ship time)

"His heart has stopped!" Chakwas yells, looking and listening to the high-pitched tone of the machine. Thomas has been placed in the med-bay, in order to revive him should just this kind of thing happen. Liara is still frozen at her spot in the mess hall, and Kaidan had to drag her into the med-bay, in order to position her in front of Thomas and hopefully let her regain control. _Unless she's the one who's… no… but what the hell is going on?_

"Clear!" Chakwas shouts, slapping the two defibrillators onto Thomas's chest. the electrical shock causes his entire body to vault into the air, then landing on the bed again.

"No reaction!" Scorch shouts. He is wiping sweat of off his face with the backside of his gauntlet. Chakwas prepares the defibrillators again.

"Clear!" She shouts, repeating her previous action. Again, to no avail.

"Come on Kid! Don't die on us now! Who the hell will tell Ash!?" Kaidan shouts into the still face of Thomas. The younger man's face is distorted with fear and pain, and has kept the same expression since his heart stopped. _FUCK! This is everything but good! Come on kid, pull through!_

"Clear!"

_How… strange… I feel… not scared… just… sad. _My mind suddenly came back to the light, though it's starting to shut off again, saving as much oxygen as it can. I'm getting a little dizzy, and my body is starting to grow numb.

_Ash… I'm sorry… I'm… so, so sorry… _tears are now streaming down my cheeks, continuing down the chin and running over the hands of the corpse currently trying to kill me.

_I wanted… nothing more… than… to hold…._

"_Clear!"_

_Hmmm… what was that? _I could have sworn I just heard someone shout "Clear"…. _But that… I wonder what it looks like in the mess hall now… am I just frozen in place? Have I collapsed on the floor with Kaidan kneeling over me, providing first aid? _

_Hmmm… funny… I can…never remember…what the heart… massage thing… is called…_

"_Clear!" odd… this time I know I heard… something… and my mind was just… a bit clearer right now… _

A bright light, at first faint, but quickly growing, is approaching me from the front. _What is… is that singing? Why is there singing here?_

The light is now enveloping both Liara and me, stopping just inches before us, drawing a very clear line right in front of us. Almost like a picture inside another picture.

_Hmm… singing and a white light… wonder if that is heaven… so… if I go there… I die? _I turn my eyes at the large clawed hands around my neck, almost smiling. _Though it does seem like I don't have a choice in that matter anyway. Hmpf… they never make it easy…do they?_

"_Clear!"_ The voice sounds again, and I notice, that each time the voice says that, the light redraws a bit.

_Funny… almost looks like someone is telling the light… to go away… but… what is… thát?_

Normandy med-bay: 14:45 (ship time)

"Clear!" Chakwas shouts, shocking Thomas for the seventh time. Liara is still in her state of coma, but her breathing and heartbeat is normal. Thomas's body does another arch before landing on the bed again. Chakwas wipes the sweat of her forehead, preparing the defibrillators once again, while she keeps a concentrated stare at the machine measuring Thomas's heart rate.

"Clear!" And once again, she electrocutes his body, causing the hairs on his head to stand.

The heart rate suddenly starts again, the beeping causing the rooms residents to jump back. Starring at the screen, Chakwas can once again see the spikes that symbolize the heart beating again.

"Thank God… we did it."

"_**No Doctor. Do not thank he who does not care. Thank your education instead."**_ The voice of Roku once again causes Chakwas to jolt back from the bed, almost knocking over some equipment in her hurry and shock.

"Now! What in the Maker's name is that voice!?"

_Wow… this is… I'm floating… Liara suddenly disappeared, just… puff… I wonder what happened to her… and Roku… where did that bastard go?_

"_Right here Thomas. I never left your side, only… you left mine."_

"_What happened?"_

"_When we focused on the moss in the pictures, something came over you and seized control. We tried getting through to you, but it was like you just became a shadow. Liara now suspects that the moss has something to do with your visions and hallucinations. How, I do not know. However, your heart stopped some minutes ago, and Chakwas, Kaidan and Scorch have been fighting to restart it."_

"_Wait, Scorch helped?"_

"_Well… yeah. He tried some… unusual methods we were sure should have woken any sleeping person… it didn't work. Then, they used the defibrillators on you, shocking you several times. I think you were on… eight or nine tries before we restarted your heart."_

"_How is Ash taking it?"_

"_She… doesn't know. Not yet."_

"_Good. She has enough on her mind."_

"_Agreed. Shall I take you back to consciousness?" _

"_Can you?"_

"_Sure thing. Just… relax…"_

A new white light blinds me, causing me to shut my eyes tight and look away under my eyelids.

"He is coming back to us. Com on Kid, that's right. Open your eyes." I think that's Kaidan's voice, but I can't be sure. _Wouldn't it be freaky as hell to wake up after the train accident now?_

"_Probably, but the med-bay is your destination."_

Normandy med-bay: 14:47 (ship time)

"He is waking up. Thank Goddess!" Liara exclaims. Looking at Thomas since she herself woke up, she has been constantly fidgeting with her fingers, rubbing her wrists and above all just been overly-concerned for Thomas. After all, she tells herself, it would be her own fault if he died.

"About time Kid, gave us quite a scare there." Kaidan says, crossing his arms and leaning against a support beam. _Man, that was just too close._ He thinks. They could have lost their friend there… and of course the guy who knew about the future, but still their friend and crewmate.

"I'd say. Though I am still not comfortable with this "Roku", as you call him Liara… How long have you people known about his… condition?" she says, gesturing to the young man on the bed, now in the process of waking up.

"Hell, Doc, I just found out now." Scorch says, sighing and sinking to the floor. He has grabbed his helmet, holding it in one hand. He just looks at the doc, his gaze wandering from Thomas to Chakwas, back to Thomas and then around the room.

_Man… I really hope that was the last mind-meld I ever have to do… ever! _My head is killing me, and my eyes are burning. I can hear voices, though they still sound muffled and faint.

I try opening my eyes, focusing on some of the lines on the ceiling that run the length of the room. The voices are becoming clearer now, and I can make out the voice of a clone. The problem with them sounding almost alike means that I have no idea who it is… _Though… Sev and Boss are with John, and Fixer was unconscious… so I'm guessing it must be Scorch…_ I open my eyes completely, and look around. In the room are Chakwas, Kaidan and Scorch, resting against the wall. _Ash isn't here… good. Would have hated for her to see this… to see me like this…_

"How are you feeling Thomas?" Chakwas asks. I give her my best smile;

"Hey Doc, this is kinda becoming a habit, waking up in the med-bay…"

"At least you did wake up. Your heart stopped for some minutes. What happened?"

"Well… I… don't really want to talk about it…"

"But it was another hallucination?" Liara asks. I nod.

"Then that settles my suspicion."

"Which is?" I ask her, happy to see her face one and whole again. I think I might have scars for some time after that dream. I feel my neck, almost unconsciously scratching where Liara's hands were before. There doesn't appear to be any marks or scratches, and then I notice that my left foot is in one piece, and not destroyed by acid. _Phew… well, that's a relief…_

"I noticed the moss that crept towards you when you leant against the wall in the tunnels. I had not noticed that you had frozen up next to us, so I kept looking. Then, the plant released some kind of small cloud of spores, practically directed towards your face. if you had worn a helmet with a breather, and not your current without… you probably wouldn't have been infected, but the spores seemed to enter your body then and there. My suspicions rose when I noticed you stopping in the middle of a sentence, and then beginning to fade away… like you were no longer your own mind…

"Weird… but what does that mean? I was possessed by a plant?"

"Well, actually, you still are… we have yet to-"suddenly, the comm. system activates, and I can hear the distressed voice of Ash;

"All available ground crew come in! This is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, calling for support! The colonists have gone crazy! Fai Dan tried shooting Tequila, but Tengberg knocked the pistol away before he could take the shot. Then every single person in the colony went to town on us. We have barricaded ourselves in one of the pre-fab buildings near the skyway, but Jane and Fixer are unconscious, and Tengberg and Tequila are holding the door. They dragged Nihlus away, and I have no idea as to where! We need-"the comm. cuts off.

"What the- I'll take Garrus and go up the-"Kaidan starts, but I'm already out of bed and past him. I sprint out the med-bay doors, while Chakwas is shouting something about me not being ready for duty yet. _Fuck that, Ash is in trouble, And Devil rape me if I let her come to harm if I can help it otherwise!_

I jump into the elevator and smash the button for the hangar- and engine deck. The elevator is insanely slow, almost making me kick the walls for being so slow, when the doors open, and I jump out of the moving platform. The guy in charge of repairing my equipment and armor shoots me a look when I storm to where he is standing. He gives me a smile though;

"Hey there. You must be Fisher. I'm-"

"Listen mate, I am sorry this sounds rude, but I really need my armor right _fucking _now." His brows furrow, followed by a brisk nod. He runs off to a room and returns shortly with a set of armor. My armor has been patched with several different metals and looks almost as good as new. _Fine, now to get it one… I still have a broken arm…_

"Can you give me a hand?" I say, gesturing to my arm, still wrapped in gauze. He shoots me a puzzled look, then gains a small smile.

"Ahh… so it's true. Well, anything for love, and sod it if Chakwas berates me for letting you out. at least it won't be without protection." As he hands me the first legging, he helps me put it on. although it feels a tad awkward in the start, I appreciate his help. When I clasp the last part of my shell on, I only need the helmet. I give him a nod of thanks, grab a pistol and move back towards the elevator. _Locked and loaded you bastards. Just you try take Ash from me. Just you try!_

The elevator scrambles at inhumanly sow speeds, and the buzzing in my ears returns, signaling that Roku for once "knocks" before he speaks.

"_Thomas?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Are you sure about this?" _

"_Not you too man… I need to save her. I'm gonna… I'm never gonna forgive myself for it if… if she…"_

"_I'm not gonna argue with you. Both your love and your best friend are out there. Keeping you here would be stupid."_

"_Thanks."_ I think as I step out of the elevator and run up the stairs to the CIC. Presley, one of the few persons I haven't spoken to yet, is standing over a console near the galaxy map. 'Only recognize him because he died in ME2. That old face and the bald head is kind of a giveaway. He gives me a quick nod before he returns to his duties. I rush past him, hurrying through the long corridor leading to the cockpit. _Mara! Don't let me be too late!_

As I rush back out onto the walkway where the first guy got smeared and Garrus received a shower. The dark area is still there, as well as the turian-shaped clean space on the floor. Scorch and Garrus are just up ahead, trying to… it looks like they are fighting someone, hand to hand. _Must be the colonists… where is Wrex when we need him? He could just barge through them…_

"Careful! Get back!" Garrus suddenly shouts, stepping to the side as a shower of fluid hits the spot he inhibited before. _Wait… acid? Don't tell me I'm in another hallucination!_

"What the hell is that thing?!" Scorch shouts, smashing something with the butt of his rifle. I can make out some human figure, trying to get to Garrus before he shoots it full of holes. _Damn Garrus! Try not killing unarmed people! Even if they are insane!_

"What is going on!? I thought the two of you would be way ahead by now?" I shout as I join them, taking down a creature that, if I had not seen worse in my hallucinations, would make me throw up; it is… the only way to describe it is a human, remade like a husk, but without any of the tubes and wires and the creepy blue eyes.

"Talos! What the fuck was that?!" I say, as we join rifles in taking down a creature that apparently doesn't know the word "pain".

"Don't know! They just suddenly appeared all over!" Garrus shouts, then he looks at me; "Wait, Thomas, don't you have a broken arm or something?" I just send him a glare.

"Yeah… so?" then I remember something the doctors said; "By the way, better get some sort of filter on Garrus. Scorch may have his helmet, but whatever gets over me infects people with spores. So get something over your mouth."

"But… okay, but if you die, I'll tell Ash that you came here on your own initiative."

"Sure thing Garrus. Now, why the fuck are we standing here?!" I say, and lead us through the hallways and stairs that lead to the colony. I can hear scattered gunshots ahead, from small-arms mainly. _Fuck! Crazy was bad enough… now it's crazy and armed!_ Now, I've no trouble killing geth or Varren or Krogan… but… other humans… I don't know if I can take a human's life. To know that I have ended a- _whoa!_

One of the husk-things suddenly emerges from the staircase, blocking our entrance. _Fuck this! He is not coming between me and Ash!_

I start running up the stairs towards the thing, emptying my gun at it until I get too close to comfort. The bastard then suddenly grabs for me, but I get a leg under it, topple it, and when it's down, stomp its head into mash. _But these things… I can easily kill… well, morally easy that is…_

When the thing is without head, or, that is if you count mashed potatoes as a head, we advance up the stairs, meeting no further resistance. It's when we enter the colony, that I get my real jump-scare;

"By the Force…" Scorch mutters, and I could pretty much say the same: it looks like the entire colony is gathered around one of the prefab-buildings, trying t break in. the really odd thing though, is that the colonists seem to be working with the zombie-things. _Actually, zombie is a much better word for those things than husks…_ and more of the things are scattered all over the colony. _Funny…_ I give myself a wry smile. _I could have sworn they weren't there before…_

When they spot us, most of the crowd turns their weapons at us, opening fire. _Oh Crap!_ Garrus, Scorch and I take cover in the entrance to the colony, only leaning out to shoot down the zombies or colonists that come to close for comfort. We do try to minimize the casualties by aiming for the knees and legs with the colonists, not killing them if we can avoid it. But Jesus! There are so many zombies, they just run into our line of fire, throwing themselves away like meat shields. _They just keep coming!_ We must have shot at least twenty or so of these zombie-things now, and there is just no sign of them letting up, or their numbers dwindling. It's just "bang!" and there is a hole in one zombie, where after the next juts pushes it aside, not really weighed down by human morals and respect of the dead. _Figures… at least these things are easier to kill with a pistol than the husks were…_ the drawback here, though, is that these fuckers pop with acid when they did. Garrus has already gotten his future look on his armor when he had a close call with one of them, ending up with me stuffing my gun in the mouth of the zombie, blowing out its head in the best "Aliens II" style. The bitch here just is, that the same thing happened here, that happened in "Aliens": the acid splashes from the destroyed skull, soaking Garrus's armor and making it look like he just stood up in a crossfire. The turian himself is relatively unharmed though, nodding a thanks before he returns fire at the fuckers. _I wonder… Jane said this didn't happen when she was here… is this some kind of canon-fuckup as well? would explain the commandoes at least…_ having fired my gun to the point of it overheating.

"Next time Garrus, leave the mantis behind and get a shotgun!" I shout at him. The sniper really doesn't work here, and the turian is forced to use his Lancer-II, which is a fine rifle, sure… but he isn't exactly… let me put it this way; 'I am a better shot with the Lancer-II than he is.' But I can't use my rifle, because it takes two hands to fire, and my left is still in gauze. Hell, I couldn't even get my gauntlet on.

"Why didn't you bring it?" He shouts as he snipes one of the zombies still crouched on the ground. It almost explodes from the overkill.

"Showoff… because Garrus," I say and wave the broken arm at him; "I kinda need two hands for that one!"

"How the hell did that hap- oh right, Tali broke your arm, didn't she?" two more zombies fall before our bullets, and I bash the head in on a third one. All the while we are being fired upon by insane colonists.

"Yeah… why the hell are these people even attacking us?! We have been helping them haven't we? Or is there something I don't know about?!"

"Beats me!"

"Wonder if that big guy on your team ate one of them?" Scorch remarks, blasting superheated holes in the zombies as they come within range. I have to find out just what he is shooting with, because he pretty much burns a hole every time he hits something, and I know enough about physics that I can tell he isn't shooting what I know as 'laser'. Even though people always called it "laser fire" and "laser-cannons". Laser doesn't fire in visible bursts like tracking projectiles from the Vietnam. They are easy to follow at least, as he sprays the area in front of the entrance with blue plasma-shots. The colonists seemingly are smart enough to stay in cover, only popping out to fire, then back again.

"Why the fuck are you attacking us!?" I shout at the colonists. No one answers, but a few bullets graze the concrete I'm leaning against for cover.

"Stand the FUCK down, or we will fire upon you!" I say, then remembering that we have already nailed a few of them in the legs. The "NLT's", as they call the non-lethal takedowns. "And it will be lethal takedowns!" I finish. I don't really have the guts to back it up though. Killing another human? I still can't take the thought. _It just screams "wrong"… of course I could kill him if he had a gun on Ash or me, but otherwise… I couldn't kill a man… at least, I don't think I can… _And quite frankly, I don't see any reason to test it out. while Scorch and Garrus are keeping the zombies and the colonists in check, I tap the radio that I've _finally _figured out how to use. Having to turn on the Omni-tool every time I wanted to contact people, kinda got a bit of annoying.

"This is Private Thomas Fisher checking in. someone give me a status update! I'm just at the entrance to the colony along with Garrus and Scorch. What's going on?!" I shout into the ear-comm. as a new volley of bullets impacts on the column I'm leaning against. At first, there is only silence, which causes a lump of ice to gather in my guts. _Am I… too late? No! No no n-_

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams responding!" _Thank Mara! She's okay!_ "We have been sealed off in here, the storage department closest to the (static) Jane is out, as well as Fixer. Tengberg is holding the doors, and the corporal is helping me tend to the wounded. I don't yet (static) we can't hold out much longer!" _Fuck! I'm not letting those assholes hurt her! Wonder if I __**have**__ to make good on my promise to lose a leg after all…_

"Commander John'Shepard speaking." _John? Fuck, am I glad to hear his voice!_ "We have just exited the ExoGeni-headquarters. It appears they were studying some kind of indigenous life-form called the Thorian. It's some really big plant, the way the girl described it. Covers most of Feros's landscape beneath the clouds… anyway, it appears there is some kind of center for it… just underneath the colony. We have to do something about it. If you encounter hostile colonists, do not, I repeat; do NOT kill them! They are under the control of the Thorian via some kind of spores. We still need to figure out the- Dammit Sev! Drive straight, I can't have a conversation when you drive like you're drunk!" I can hear some kind of response in the background, but due to the angry response from Tali… I think its best I don't know what it was.

"Shepard! Ashley and her Squad is locked down and under siege from mad colonists and some kind of zombies. Nihlus was dragged away, and Kaidan is still in the med-bay. We are six man standing over here, and we would like you to come join the party!"

"Bosh'tet! They got Nihlus? Well, the Thorian isn't carnivorous, as far as we know, so he should still be alive."

"Orders sir?"

"Assist Jane's squad, evac the wounded and then we team up and go gardening!"

"Sir, Jane is one of the wounded. Ashley is in command of team one for now."

"Hmm… alright, same plan. Go in there and help them."

"Yes Sir." I say, then cutting the transmission. I turn towards the two guys next to me;

"Alright, we have some new orders boys. Go in and help them. Don't kill the colonists, they are infected with, what I would guess is, the same thing that's inside me. So, spare the crazies, help the ladies and then we evac the wounded and go hunting for something called a Thorian. Sounds good?"

"Sure. But how come you are in charge?"

"I am? Since when did I get to be in charge Garrus? I thought that was you."

"Well, then you sure as hell show some initiative for someone who doesn't have orders."

"That a compli- shit!" a round just hit my shoulder, pinging of on my shield. The noise was still loud enough for me to almost jump. _For crazies, they sure are crackshots._

"What?" Garrus says.

"I said, was that a compliment, or a reprimand?"

"A compliment."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Now let's go save your damsel in distress!" Garrus says, storing away his sniper rifle and pulling out his Lancer. _Cheeky bastard…_

"Not to mention the rest of the team." Scorch says. _Yeah, them too._

As we move out of the cover of the entrance, fire immediately resumes on us, causing our shields to get below 50 % before we can get more than ten meters. We return fire as we run from cover to cover, thanking whatever power is watching over us that none of us have been hit hard, and that we haven't killed a colonist yet.

"Zombies, up front! Let's bring it to them!" I shout, bringing my pistols iron sight down on the firsts head. A series of gunshots follows my own when Garrus and Scorch open fire as well. we overhear our guns and empty the clip on Scorch's rifle, and there are still more of them left. I spot what looks like a pickaxe on the ground, and pick it up. I weigh it in my hands, and I can really feel the smile coming to my face. _zombie apocalypse smashed with pickaxe… one of my oldest and most ridiculous dreams. But hell!_ I place my pistol in my holster and wield the tool in my right hand. Garrus gives me a strange looks, like as to see if there is some speck of insanity in my eyes.

"This is gonna be fun…" I hear Scorch mutter as he put another clip in his rifle. Garrus just shakes on his head, aiming up the nearest zombie in his sights. _Here goes nothing…_ I start jogging towards the… well, you can't really call them a group, since they are not humans, but more like a cluster or a herd.

"_You do realize this is a really stupid idea, right?"_

"_Of course it is. But so far, what haven't been?"_

"_Good point, just don't complain to me when they chew you to bits."_

"_Yeah, yeah… and don't be so sad when I'm standing amidst twenty corpses of zombies."_

_Sigh… just get it over with…"_

I can't help a smug smile at his response, giving the pickaxe a few swings to test its… abilities. I then briskly walk towards the nearest walking corpse, and while the fucker is gurgling, I send the pickaxe through its head. A loud crack, and a sudden numbness in the creature follows, and the weight of it suddenly pulls the pickaxe downwards as it collapses on the ground. It gives a few twitches, before it stops moving completely.

_Well, that actually worked…_

In the time I have taken out one zombie, Garrus and Scorch have downed at least four. _Damn, gotta speed this up a bit…_ I hurry on to the next zombie, only just giving it a kick before it can shower me with vomit, and then proceeding to embed the pickaxe in its skull as it stumbles. I run on, and continue this killing spree, all the while Garrus and Scorch are taking out the guys to my left, and the prefab buildings are blocking access from my right. For some reason, the colonists are remaining behind their covers, not following us. _I wonder if they can't move while the Thorian is controlling them… no, scratch that. They moved to the prefab building where Ash is… so then why aren't they attacking us and moving in? Hell, not that I complain…_

"Come at me you ugly fuckers!" I shout as I smack one of them on the side of the head with the flat side of the pickaxe, before stumping on its head when it hits the ground. Apparently, their heads aren't that well fastened on its shoulders. _Well, that just upped my chances. Now I just have to use the flat side, and I can knock them off like melons on sticks._

And as thought, I continue on to the next zombie, and just smack his head into oblivion. It continues to roll until it is lost among the legs of a new group of zombies, this one much, much bigger. It actually make me stop, just looking at them. I simply toss my pickaxe at them, with a stroke of luck, I hit one of them, and the falling corpse disappears in the herd. I yank out my pistol again, taking aim and firing into the crowd, trying to aim for the heads. I am partly successful, as five or so of them drop down, and I look to see Garrus and Scorch emptying and overheating their guns into the masses. Scorch is by far doing the most damage, his shots almost causing their targets to melt when he hits them, while our shots simply destroys matter by impact. _Man, I've got to get me one of those. Just wish they were more accurate on long range scales. Ah, the Salarians can probably fix tha- whoa!_ Scorch, loving of explosives as he is, just threw a small red orb into the crowd. _What was it they were called… those grenades?_

_**BOOM!**_

And the crowd of zombies is scattered like the contents of a water balloon. At first, I have a hard time believing my eyes, what with them having just observed an entire army of zombies being reduced to bad weather. And speaking of… bad weather, they have started falling down again, and we take shelter by sticking to the side of one of the buildings… or, Garrus and I do, Scorch is… standing out in the rain, yelling some sort of battle cry. _I swear, that guy…_ How messed up do you have to be to be yelling with vigor and happiness after you just blew up thirty or so zombies, and now they are raining down around you? _What the hell did he throw anyway? Grenades can't possibly do that… can they?_

"Scorch! What the heck did you just throw at them?" I shout. Have to, to overpower his shouting.

"Just my own little thing. Thermal detonator never did have quite enough 'bang' to them."

"Jesus… next time, warn us. Okay?"

"Alright, but what do we do about the- Shlavit!" a volley just past his head, one of the slugs hitting him but pinging of off his helmet, leaving a slight bulge, but nothing else. He rubs his helmet, as was it his head, and he had a headache.

"The what?"

"The crazies? We can't kill them, according to… what were they called? Cvarian?"

"Quarian. And he is called John'Shepard. And by the way… he does not like being called Quarian."

"Noted. But how do we handle the colonists then?"

"Don't know… knock them out?"

"Could work… just not with your tool from earlier. That would do a bit more than just "knocking" them out."

"Fair point."

"They are not letting up Chief!" Private Nicolai Tengberg shouts over the constant banging on the door to the building. They had been forced to flee into one of the buildings in the colony when everyone suddenly decided on killing them. _Just fucking great…_

"Well hold that door! I'm not looking forward to if they get in here!" Ashley shouts back, trying to concentrate on getting her, although not exactly desired, commander on her feet again. Nicolai nods, and continues pressing his back against the door. Outside, the colonists and some kind of husk are trying to get in, and even though the door is locked, they could probably still smash it in. He sends a look at Tequila, currently hauling the clone… 'Fixer', on his back towards Ashley. She is still wearing her UNCM armor, though Garrus got her talked into taking a shield generator to add to her armor. And by God, Tengberg is glad the turian did. Tequila has already been shot at five times now, all shots being deflected by her shields. If her armor can block the bullets, he doesn't know. Nor does he need to perform any tests as long as she is wearing it. _Especially as long as we are being attacked by crazy people… that guy I smacked… he just got right back up. I'm sure I could have knocked Garrus out cold with that._

Shaking his head, he places his metal boots against the floor, positioning them in a small track in it. _This might just- son of a-_ what feels like an elephant suddenly smashes against the door, almost knocking him forwards;

"Tequila! Need a little help here! Feels like they've got either an Elcor, or a battering ram out there!" He says, the anxiousness in his voice betraying the calm tone. Having dropped the commando, the corporal rushes over to him, placing her back against the door as well;

"You know Tengberg, when you said you were taking me out on some fun… I thought you had something else in mind!" Somehow, she has retained her weird sense of humor, being able to joke in that kind of situation. He shrugs, keeping his feet planted solid;

"Yeah well, I'm having fun!" He remarks wryly.

"Will you two shut up and focus on- did you hear that?" The Chief asks from her place above the two wounded soldiers. Nicolai and Tequila immediately stops talking, and as Ashley is saying, the sound of gunfire suddenly can be heard from somewhere out there.

"Wonder if Nihlus fought his way back here…" He says, still not even looking at the door-controls. Wouldn't really help him anyway. First thing he did when they had dragged Jane and Fixer in here, was to fry the panel so that the colonists, if they still had the brains, wouldn't be able to just open the door. _Sigh… why did Thomas just __**have**__ to mention a zombie apocalypse? He just __**had**__ to, didn't he?_ Tengberg thinks to himself, remembering the conversation aboard the Normandy.

"Corporal, I need you to get Fixer back on his feet! 'Can't do this alone!"

"But I don't think Nicolai can hold the door on his own… ma'am."

"Sure he can, he beat you in weights. Now get over here!" Tequila looks at Nicolai who is a little amused at her protectiveness around him. He nods at her;

"Just go Teresa. I can hold this on my own… have to…" for a moment, using her actual first name seems to confuse her, being used to be called by the drink her name so easily makes up. Then she gets it back together and runs over to the Gunnery Chief.

"You know Ashley. If-" He starts speaking, only to be cut off when his comm. suddenly opens up again. _I thought it was being jammed?_

"This is Private Thomas Fisher checking in. someone give me a status update! I'm just at the entrance to the colony along with Garrus and Scorch. What's going on?!" _Great. Now he can come say 'sorry for mentioning zombies'. And he only brought those two? What about Kaidan? Or Liara? We could bloody well use a biotic right now…_

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams responding. We have been sealed off in here; the storage department closest to the Skyway. Jane is out cold, as well as Fixer. Tengberg is holding the doors, and the corporal is helping me tend to the wounded. I don't yet know where Nihlus is. We can't hold out much longer!" _gee Ash, way to inspire confidence…_ he thinks as he is ripped from his thoughts by another powerful bash against the door. _But she does have a point…_

"Now we just need the commander back here, and we'll be one big happy family!" He shouts towards the next room where Tequila is doing something to Fixer. It looks like she is pounding his chest with both hands, like in some of those movies… _but… doesn't that mean that the heart has stopped, or that he isn't breathing?_

"Commander John'Shepard speaking."We have just exited the ExoGeni-headquarters. It appears they were studying some kind of indigenous life-form called the Thorian. It's some really big plant, the way the girl described it. Covers most of Feros's landscape beneath the clouds… anyway, it appears there is some kind of center for it… just underneath the colony. We have to do something about it. If you encounter hostile colonists, do not, I repeat; do NOT kill them! They are under the control of the Thorian via some kind of spores. We still need to figure out the- Dammit Sev! Drive straight; I can't have a conversation when you drive like you're drunk!" _Well… we've learned one thing at least… Sev can't drive. _He thinks, chuckling to himself.

"Okay, since thát worked… can I have a cheeseburger as well?" He shouts at the ceiling. To his disappointment, no divine voice is heard saying; "Sure, here you go". _Figures… well, at least Wrex is on his way back. He is a biotic, if memory serves._

The gunshots are becoming more frequent, and there is some screaming outside. Nic thinks to himself, wondering if Thomas's team simply mowed down the colonists, or if they were going for the knees._ He… arrow to the knee… well, more like bullet to the knee… God, I'm joking right now? We could all die in the next couple of minutes!_

Looking over to Tequila and Ashley, he can see that the commander, Jane Shepard, was moving again, sitting up. The initial sigh of relief is, however, quickly replaced by a disturbing thought;

_From what I saw in the med-bay… having those two in the same room… could be a bad thing…_

"Fuck, these things don't feel any pain at all!" I shout, continuing to toss big rocks at one of the zombies while my gun is cooling. Going for the head does seem like the only option, as one can pretty much overheat a rifle into their bodies, and not see any sign of pain or damage. _Mother of shit… I just had to play 'mister wise guy' back on the ship; "Oh Nicolai, there will be a zombie apocalypse down there!" Yeah… fuck me, right? Wonder if I brought this on myself, or if it really is a part of canon._

"Scorch, would you happen to have any more of those thermal detonators?" Garrus asks him, kneeling behind a large concrete barricade as he pops up and nails a colonist through a foot. The woman fall to the ground, emitting a heartbreaking scream of agony. I can feel my own chest hurt, and my eyes hurt, as I recognize the woman.

The daughter is nowhere to be seen, but it's her. The woman who became a widow only a few days ago when Ash and I failed in saving her husband. She is still wearing her work clothes, the robust yet hardy brown clothes that identifies colonists and lower pay-grade citizens. She is getting back up, now standing on her other foot and leaning against the building as she takes aim at me again. I line her other leg up in my sights. _I… I have to shoot her. NLT… NLT… but I can't shoot a human! Especially not one I saw crying over her husband's body! Okay, shut up brain!_

_I just have to disarm her! Just a shot in the other foot or… or through her hands… but she's got… her daughter will think I'm a monster! Dear Mara, where is the little girl!? What if she is watching?! What if she sees me shoot her mamma, right after she's lost her daddy?!_

I open my eyes again, finding the woman staring at me. She is still aiming at me, but for some reason, she has yet to pull the trigger. _Can she be remembering me? Is she snapping out of-_

_**Bang!**_

The woman crumbles, having received a hole in her lower left shin. I am still holding the gun at her, but I didn't pull the trigger. I look to my right, where the sound came from, and find Garrus standing next to me, gun leveled and aimed at the woman. _He had to, she would have fired! He had to she would have fired! He… had to. She would have… would she?_

"Garrus! Why the hell did you shoot?"

"What do you mean? We have to take them down with NLT's. Besides, she was aiming her gun at you."

"Yes, _aiming_, not firing. Something made her hold back, but now you may just have severed her artery, and she could bleed to death in front of her daughter!"

"What do-ugh" He says, stopping to take cover when a volley of slugs impact on his shields. "What do you mean 'her daughter'? You know her?" he says, popping up to return fire and suppress a group of colonists.

"I can recognize her. It's the woman whose husband Ash and I couldn't save before… after you were showered, the geth attacked the colony again, and a wounded a man. Turned out, he had a wife and daughter. Ash and I tried saving him, but somehow his lunges where penetrated as well, and we couldn't. Then they started crying, and almost smashed my heart. Now, she must have recognized me, started fighting the control somehow, and-"

"And I just shot her down… Sorry Fisher, but I was just acting on instinct. I only saw a colonist aiming her gun at you, and took her down non-lethal."

"You are supposed to be a crack shot Vakarian. How is a severed artery a non-lethal takedown?"

"I don't think I hit the artery. But it will take her at least fifteen minutes to bleed out if I did. Just have to end this before that time's up" Popping up again, I help him suppress the group from before, while Scorch moves up the rear, attempting a flanking maneuver, for all I can see.

"If she dies, you explain the girl why she suddenly became an orphan!"

"Fine! Fine, I get it! We save the colonist, prevent her from bleeding out!"

"Good. Now let's get this shit-"I start, but I'm interrupted by a new sound of gunfire, this time it comes from the tower, where we found the Delta's. It's also where we went down to the lower levels, where I was somehow infected by this 'Thorian'… whatever the hell that actually is. I get as much as it is a plant, but this… how can a plant control people? My comm. beeps t o life;

"Ground crew, this is commander Shepard. We are entering the colony from the eastern corner. Keep an eye on friendlies from the tower. Do not fire upon the colonists, we have a gas that will neutralize the infection in them. Lave them to us!" man, I'm glad to hear John is ba- _wait, he has an antidote? Yes! That means no more nightmares and hallucinations!_ Yes! that was about goddamn time, if you ask me.

"_Well, that would mean I could get a chance to relax and not have to worry about the monsters in your head anymore. Can't say I'll miss it."_

"_Me neither."_

"Alright Thomas, Scorch. You heard the commander. Focus fire on the husk-things, and leave the colonists to the commander."

"Yes sir." Scorch replies. I consent, but do not take my eyes of the woman on the ground. I activate my comm.

"Ash? Ash this is Thomas. Over."

"Thought you guys were busy? Glad to hear the commander is back. Now we can deal with the colonists without killing them. Over."

"About that. Remember the family from before, the husband and father we couldn't save?"

"Why do you bring that up? I would rather not think about it right now."

"Well, Garrus just shot the mother in the leg, and I'm afraid she'll bleed out before the colony can be restored. Do you have any more bandages? Over."

"A few. Where were she hit? Over"

"The leg. Over."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do. Is it clear to open the door now? We can't have them get violent in here with Fixer still down."

"Not yet. But I take it Jane is back up then?"

"… Yeah. She is barking orders at Tengberg right now. But… she is also helping Tequila with Fixer. Apparently, she isn't above grunt work. Over"

"Alright. See you soon. Over"

I "hang up" on her, returning to the field to see John and Sev hurl hand grenades at the colonists.

"Holy Shit! They are gonna blow them-" I of course believe that what they are tossing are normal hand grenades. I only stop shouting when I see the balls detonate in some kind of green gas. Instantly, the colonists around the grenades drop down. In a matter of seconds, our fire at the zombies, and John's grenades against the colonists, has pacified the colony. As we regroup in the center, the door to one of the buildings open, and Jane and Tequila walks out, followed by Nic and Ash carrying Fixer between them. The clone is making weak grunts, so he is at least awake. When Sev spots him, dangling between the two soldiers, he laughs his harsh laughter;

"God damn Fixer. What happened to you? You look like someone kicked your ass!" He says, walking over to and relieving our teammates of their wounded clone. As soon as Ash is no longer carrying him, she walks over to John, says something to him, then she approaches me and drags me along, pulling my armors neck;

"Hey, hey, hey! Ash, I get that you are the dominating type, but…" _okay, that sentence was goin the wrong way…_

"Come on Rookie, we need to get to that woman. Unless you want to find her daughter." She says. I shrug and she lets go of me.

"Well, that's what I wanted as well, so why the pulling?"

"Meh, 'was more fun than just asking you to come along."

"I swear Ash, sometimes…"

"I know, you would go nuts without me." Her response triggers a smile and a chuckle from me.

"Probably that too." She then grows more serious. she looks behind me, and following her eyes, I can see the mother of the little girl propped against the wall, being restrained by two other colonists who have already regained their senses. We move towards them, Ash some strange canister in hand. As the colonists spot us, the sane ones move a bit to give us room, while the woman starts struggling again. Apparently, seeing me and Ash doesn't trigger her memory enough to snap her out of it. The black in her eyes have widened, taking the space the iris took up before. A pool of blood has started to gather under her legs.

"Hold her for a few more seconds." Ash says, her 'Chief' voice takes over, barking commands at the colonists like at me and the boys the first day in boot camp. While the colonists nod and obey her orders, she kneels down before the struggling woman, releasing the canister in her face. a green gas starts seeping out, being inhaled by the woman. Almost instantly, the frantic movements stop, and she goes limp.

"What was that?" The guy holding her left side asks.

"Is she…"

"Nah, just asleep. The gas should purge any remains of Thorian influence in her systems, so she will be asleep for at least some hours. Speaking of which; how are the two of you already up and running?" She says, giving the two men a stare of disbelief.

"Not everyone was infected by the Thorian. We only found out who when the rest of them started going nuts. Including my sister here." The man on her left says, gesturing at the now sleeping woman.

"So, you're the girl's uncle?"

"Yeah. I locked her up when she and the other people started going nuts. I wanted to keep her from harming herself or others. She kept screaming about monsters, looking at me like I was one of those 'things'. She is still inside the building, locked inside my office. I'll have to use some of that gas you just did on Holly, while you get her patched up." Ash nods and hands him another capsule. He then walks off for a building located some distance away. We look after her, and back to the woman. Holly, as he said her name was. Ash opens a pocket in her armor, unpacking the med-kit from earlier. We get to work on the woman, with a substantially better chance than with her husband.

Half an hour later, we have managed to patch her up, leaving Holly with some nice scars that will probably be with her for all time. _Where did that 'nice' come from?_

When the man returned, he introduced himself as Ben, and the girl's name is Liana. Kind of a cute name, now that I think about it. She has some minor rifts on her arms, probably from the way she has tried clawing herself out of the office, and her blond hair is completely messed up. She looks like that daughter everybody wants, the normally curious eyes, and the perky little nose. Now, though, she has lost the glint in her eyes. Besides that, she doesn't really look like she just went through a period of mind control. When mother and daughter is re-united, we can finally turn back to our team, knowing that they will be relatively safe and okay. Ash sighs when she looks at them, probably still contemplating how she lost the husband;

"You alright Ash?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. Just glad we didn't turn the girl an orphan. It's tough enough to lose one dad at that age, but to lose the mother as well? If it wasn't because she has an uncle, I would have made sure she was adopted or taken care of myself."

"You would have adopted her?"

"Well… no, I have no idea how to handle kids… well, I can bandage them, but I don't know shit about the mother-stuff. That was always Sarah who wanted to ply house. I was playing with dads unloaded guns." Her statement about the guns cause me to crack a smile;

"Somehow, imagining a toddler you, playing with guns… isn't all that hard." I get a punch on the arm for that one, as well as a smile.

"Careful now you. I could sentence you to 'down and take twenty' if I wanted." I shrug and smile at her. I am always amazed at how this woman can one moment be the most ferocious warrior in the galaxy, and the next she is this humorous, kind, loving and caring person. To have all that in one person… it sometimes makes me wonder if I really am dreaming. Of course, I now know that I am not, as no dream I've ever had spanned for weeks.

"Nah, you would never. By the way, thanks for kicking my ass."

"Wait, what?"

"The sessions where we sparred. I may have sucked against you, but it probably saved my ass at least one time during the last hours."

"Oh… well, I could do it again, if you would like."

"Ha, nah I think I've had enough of a beating for today, thank you very much."

"You're welcome." She says with a smile. It's the warm smile that always makes me melt inside. I don't even realize what I'm doing, till I suddenly find myself in a tight hug with Ash, lifting her several inches above the ground. At first, we look a bit startled at each other. But, when I see her face grow soft, I can feel a grin spreading on my face, pretty much covering all of it. '_must look like the 'Joker' right now…_ I muse, starring into her hazel eyes. They stare right back at me, with warmth in them that makes my legs go weak. I gently put her down, releasing some of the breath I didn't realize I was holding in. I place a hand on her chin, caressing it gently, and she places her palm upon mine. The others are guaranteed to be eyeing us, but hell, let them. I'm pretty much united with the woman of my dreams, and I wouldn't trade her, or any of this, for anything in existence. I look into her eyes, almost falling into them;

"You know… you've got some beautiful eyes Ash."

"Sweet talker… "She says, before moving her head closer to mine.

Oddly enough, this time I'm nowhere near as nervous as I was in the gym. I lean in, shifting my foot to get a better stance, and move my face towards hers, now with her eyes closed.

* * *

**And we have a romance scene! Or, a romantic cliffhanger... Oh, you know what I mean. Point is, Feros, when done my way, is way to long for one or even two chapters to cover it. How the Heck other people do it... is beyond me. **

**Alright, hope you enjoyed it, and in the words of... well, pretty much every single author out there; **

**"Remember to review and share your thoughts about the chapter"**

**Now that the hollydays are comming... who knows how soon I'll have the next chapter out.**


	14. You go gardening

**A/N: **

**Alright guys, I realize this one took a little longer than planned, but you try and perfect a scene like this. well, you will know what I mean. I had to rewrite the start a few times and the describtions got sort of... well, read it yourselves, then you can judge for yourselves.**

**Enjoy, this will be the last part of Feros, because what do you do when 'plants are a problem'?**

* * *

**…You go gardening**

When our lips meet, I can feel this otherworldly sensation again. Only this time I am not burdened by embarrassment or shame. The kiss in the gym was a bit awkward as I wasn't prepared for it, but this time I am actually the one who took the initiative. I don't know what I expected when I pressed her against me, lifting her in the air, but this could definitely be in the top three of things I was hoping for. Unlike our first real kiss, in the gym, this one takes it a step further. Our lips lock together and I can feel her warmth, smell her scent that emanates from her hair. It… arouses me. Her face is glistering with the occasional bead of sweat, and the overall intake of impressions, smells, tastes, sights… it's almost too much. While I'm caught taking in the experiences, something suddenly happens. Ash presses herself towards me again, and opens her mouth, thereby also forcing mine open. Not that I mind, especially because of what she does now. As I'm breathing in through the mouth, I can… guess the best way to describe it would be to call it 'taste' her breath. As she exhales while I inhale, I get a little dizzy. Suddenly, her tongue comes from within her mouth, finding mine. As they touch, I have to force myself not to bite down due to the explosions of emotions and impressions that suddenly well up inside me. This is an experience that overpowers everything else I've ever tried. Her soft tongue shoots into my mouth, playing with mine while she presses herself against me. I grab a hold of her back and just cling to her like Death would claim me otherwise.

After some time, which felt like it passed way to fast, I finally separate my mouth from Ash's. I am not entirely sure what caused me to suddenly just pick her up and kiss her like that, but damn if I'm the one to argue with my body's occasional golden move. I bet I look like an idiot right now, with the smile that's pretty much my entire face at the moment. I cannot help but gaze at her face at the moment, looking into her deep fearsome, yet compassionate brown eyes. Her cheeks are flushing with a red so furious and deep, that you would think someone had painted it on. Her face is lit in a smile the likes of which would make you doubt she had just sat out a minor zombie apocalypse. The only telltale clue of her former distress is the fact that her black hair is hanging all over her face, and the occasional cuts and bruises on her face. Her armor has received a set of similar scrapes, and overall she looks more like someone who just did a barrel roll through gravel. I still haven't let go of her, and neither do I really want to, but I can see, behind Ash that the entire group is looking at us. A few colonists that have awakened are as well. Ash just keeps her eyes at me, and I find myself lured in by the brown orbs;

"Wow Thomas that was…"

"Better than last time?" I swear, I did not mean for the words to come out like that. They just sounded way too cheesy, and now she will probably-

"Way better than last time." She says, her lovely mouth still curved in a warm smile.

"Hey Thomas! You two done eating soon!?" Nicolai voice comes from the comm. I don't see him, which is a good thing, as I would have flipped a certain finger at him if I could. I then hear a muffled 'ouch', followed by Tequila saying something to Nic. _Good going, having him on a leash like that. _

"He does have a point Fisher. Get your butts over here so we can discuss the strategy… and, and something else." John says. For some reason, that last part didn't exactly serve to keep up my mood, but as I pull some of Ash's hair back to its original position, I can't help a smile. _Hell, with her… I doubt I could have a bad day._

As we walk back to the group, now whole except for Nihlus, Kaidan and Liara, I notice John and Jane are discussing something in hushed tones, occasionally stealing a glance at me. _Crap! What did I do now?_ When we reach them, John comes over to me with something in his hand. It looks a lot like the small canister Ash had and used on Holly. What could he want with…_oh…_ now that I think about it, I could slap myself for forgetting it. That 'Thorian' thing infected me as well. Just slipped my mind since I didn't succumb or anything during the fight. But now at least, I'll be free from it. I hope, but since when has things just gone smoothly for me?

"_Well, you started a relationship with Williams only five or so days after having woken up on Eden Prime."_

"_Good point, but I'll bet you a kroner_1_that something happens before I can be cured."_

"_I see two problems with that bet. One, none of us know the currency in credits that equals kroner."_

"_And the second one?"_

"_How on Earth am I supposed to take money? I don't even have a body!"_

"_Oh… yeah, fair point."_ So I don't have to pay him anyway. But I'm really just following the old saying "Luck in games, no luck in love" and since I have Ash, I figure I would be crappy at games, so why not make a bet I actually want to lose?

"Okay John, what's that thing in your hand?" I just wanna be sure he isn't going to slip me arsenic or something. I mean, you never know, right?

"The same stuff we used on the colonists. 'Anti-Thorian gas', they called it. Should kill whatever is in your head, and let us proceed without having to worry about you suddenly sending yourself to the ancestors."

"Eh… sure. I am not really in the mood for seeing the ancestors right now anyway… truth be told, a couple of them were some nasty dudes… drinking and all that." I say in a joking way. For some reason though, it doesn't look like John is about to laugh his ass off. _Right… down to business then…_ I take the canister from his open hand. Ash stops me from putting it to the face;

"Hmm?" I look at her. There is a slight worry in her eyes.

"Shepard, are you sure this is safe?" She asks John. The whole Shepard thing is mildly confusing when both Jane and John are around.

"Should be. The other colonists we used the gas on have started waking up, and they only complain of a slight headache… well, that and some have thrown up."

"Super… shall we get this over with?" _Not like I'm a stranger to death all of a sudden… just hope Roku can revive me should the Thorian decide to dispose of me. _

John is about to place the canister in front of my nose, but Ash suddenly grabs his hand, forcing him to stop. He turns his head towards hers, and I can see he is about to argue and ask why she is obstructing her superior officer. He then sees the same look I've noticed in her eyes. A pleading look, as she takes the canister from his hand, slowly but firmly. John doesn't try to fight her, and steps back once the canister is in her hands. He give me a last nod;

"Better sit down Fisher, this should make you black out for some minutes." He says, before returning to the group. As I let myself fall down, rump first, Ash kneels in front of me;

"Ready?" She asks. As much as she smiles at me, keeping the happy face on, I can still hear the concern in her voice. Her left hand, holding the canister, is shaking mildly, and I can hear her hard breathing.

"Ready... And Ash?" I say, placing a hand on her left cheek, stroking it with my thump.

"Yeah Rookie?"

"Try to relax; stress causes your hair to filter…" I say, trying to add a small amount of humor to the situation. _Hell, Shepard wouldn't willingly do something that could kill me… would he?_

"_I think I would prefer to be surprised here… no, wait that was not what I meant!"_

"_A bit scared Roku?" _I ask, a smug smile in my mind.

"_Only of losing my job of course."_

"_Yeah, yeah…"_

"I'll keep that in mind." She says, as she holds the now opened canister against my face. as I breath in the gas, I look into her eyes. _Those lovely brown eyes._

"Besides… I've survived… worse…" Then I can't see her anymore, all is black.

* * *

"Well, what happened?" Private Nicolai Tengberg asks as no one really seems to be dying to inform him. His best friend, and besides Tequila, the only person here he would trust with his life, is unconscious on the ground, after he inhaled some kind of something from the canister Ashley was using earlier. Scratching his neck, he looks at the woman now seated next to Thomas as she slumps down with a sigh. _Man, who has got the worst, I wonder. Thomas; who have to go through all this, or Ashley who really seems to care for him?_ John steps up next to him. Nicolai still has some difficulty accepting the fact that Commander Shepard, Survivor of Akuze, Hero to be of the Battle of the Citadel… is a Quarian. Not that he minds Quarians, but it just seems weird.

"I count on him waking up in about ten minutes or so… depends on the depth of his infection though. You worry?"

"Well, yeah. He is kind of the one who made sure I even got on the Normandy in the first place. We've known each other for… what, ten years now? Besides, he is kinda the guy with a spirit or something in his head, and knowledge of what will happen the next… four or five months I think."

"You think?" John says, turning to face him.

"Yeah well, the game was never really descriptive with the amount of time that passes from the attack on Eden Prime till the battle of… eh, just till the game ended." He says nervously, praying that he hadn't just messed something up.

"The battle of the Citadel?" John says, looking once more at Thomas's limp body on the ground. Nicolai turns at him;

"Wait a second… you know about the battle?" He says, a little louder than he wanted to. John shifts his gaze back at him;

"Right after the debriefing, where the secret was let out, remember we sent all but him, Nihlus and me out of the room?"

"Yeah?" Nicolai was starting to see where was going.

"Well, we contacted the Council, or rather Nihlus contacted the Salarian councilor, what was his name? Velen something?"

"Valern."

"Yes, that. Well, we contacted him, and Thomas told him everything about the Reapers. Then he also told him that Saren would attack the Citadel at some point. I was close to falling over when I heard it, but to his credit, the guy only blinked and was quiet for some time. Then they started talking about a meeting when we came to the Citadel the next time." Something suddenly says 'ping' inside Tengberg's head;

"Oh… yeah, now that you mention it, I think Thomas did mention something about talking with the Salarian councilor next time we stopped by the station… can't remember if he also said why…" Stretching his back, he looks over where the rest of the group was engaged in planning, directed by Jane.

"So what do you think about her?" John suddenly asks. The question almost makes Nicolai cough on his last intake of air.

"Who, Tequila?" Nicolai says, glancing towards the group.

"What? No, why would… never mind, I meant Jane. Is she not what Thomas calls my 'other version'?"

_I swear the questions this guy asks… I wouldn't want the answers myself…_Nicolai thinks as he considers how to answer them.

"Eh… I think that's a matter of perspective…"

"And why is that?" Nicolai can hear an increasing tone of frustration in John's voice.

"Well… if you asked someone about the… well, the game, then the answer would be yes… and looking at your pasts, working with the same people… well, minus the trans-universal ones that is, and finally, your names, or your last names… if one took those things into account only, then yes, you are different versions of the same person."

"Not really the answer I was hoping for."

"Well, but if you look at it from a realistic point of view, then no, you are two very different persons. You are, for starters, different races, Human and Quarian. Second, you survived Akuze, Jane did… something else, from what I've heard…"

"That's it? In your eyes, all that separates Jane and me, are those two things?"

"Well in a manner of speaking… but it's more than what separates Jane and me. The only difference there is the gender. And I consider myself very much a different person than her."

"I guess that's something…" John says, scratching his voice emulator.

"By the way, commander… why do you ask? Feeling insecure around her?"

"What? No, it's just… with everything that's been happening, I wondered something some days ago, and asked Thomas about it."

"Which was?"

"Whether or not he would still consider me the 'real' Shepard, should someone like Jane suddenly turn up…"

"Oh yeah, I was there, remember?"

"Right, right. But as much as his answer gave me relief, I still couldn't help the feeling that somewhere, deep inside, he will always see Jane as the 'real' Shepard, while I'm just what you guys describe as 'canon-fuckups'" This caused the human to scratch his neck, though the armor stopped him.

"Oh… you've heard us?"

"Actually, I heard you use those words some time before you actually told us. I just didn't know what it meant." This almost caused Nicolai's veins to snap freeze. _Fuck! Did he hear us on the Presidium? Talking about "death by collector beam?" _

"Ehm… what exactly did you hear?"

"Can't remember, but it was something you argued over right after the hearing… I remember you in particular seemed very upset. Something I should know?" _Chicken shit! I'm not telling him that he'll die over Alchera! Let that be Thomas's job!_

"Eh, it was just about whether or not Anderson would give you the Normandy…" He says, doing his best to sound casual.

"I see… Tengberg, do you know that you really suck at lying?" _Oh Motherfu- I can't tell him. I JUST CANNOT! What the fuck do I do? Thomas, why the fuck did you have to be infected and put to sleep? I need you here!_ He was beginning to develop a serious headache, and it just kept getting worse. Groaning inwardly, he closes his eyes tight and curses under his breath. _Goddamn bucket-head! Why can't you just buy the story? You don't want to know the truth, you really don't!_

"Uhhrr… Commander, you don't need to know, it's really nothing."

"No, come on. I am really intrigued now."

"No really Shepard, you don't. need. to. know." Nicolai stresses the words as they come out, trying not to shout. _I swear, if I spill the beans, I'm dead. Either by Thomas, John or Tali. Actually, I'm more afraid of what Tali would do to me._

"Tengberg, as your commander in charge, I could order you to tell me." _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

"Please don't… sir."

"Then just tell me." John is pressing him now. Both sides want the other to give in. Nicolai's problem just is that John can order him to spit it out.

"If you really wanna know, it was whether or not to reveal that… eh..."_ come on think you dumbass!_

"I'm waiting Nicolai." For some reason, having Shepard use his first name feels like being whipped right now. Looking back on John, Nicolai decided to reveal something less important.

"Reveal that Liara's mother is on Noveria. Matriarch Benezia should be on Noveria. I mean, we really didn't know if that would actually happen or not, and I guess Thomas had his reasons for not telling…"

"As interesting as that may be, and believe me, this _is_ interesting… I still do not feel you are telling me the truth here Tengberg, so I will ask another way."

"B-but Shepard I-"

"Is the reason that you will not tell me, A) it is embarrassing? B) I do not want to hear it? Or C) it would implicate someone on the ship with serious crimes? Or D) something else? Is this easier for you?"

"Dammit Shepard, since when did we start playing questions?"

"Just answer the question or cook in the brig for the next week... It's nothing personal."

"Hell it is, I would be pretty pissing curious now as well…"

"Glad you see it that way Tengberg. So, which will it be?" Nicolai scratches his head, or his helmet actually, trying to come up with something.

"I guess it goes under B… sorry Commander, but I really think it would give you waking nights if you heard it…"

"And you are sure of this? Nothing that will convince you otherwise?"

"Do I go in the brig if I say no, sir?"

"No. I gave you options and you chose one. I can respect not wanting to let out a secret that would compromise or ruin something, so I'll let the matter be. For now."

"Thanks sir. 'Really appreciates it."

"Yeah well, no need to go all… what do you guys call it? "touchy-feely" on me. Just do your job, and we can continue this another time, and we **will** continue this another time. Now, I do believe Jane has finished updating and planning. Let's hear what she has to say." The pair moves back to the group who is listening to Jane explaining her plan;

"Alright people, we have some nasty bugger called the Thorian, underneath our feet at this very moment. From what I understand, this thing is a plant, so we'll be bringing a flamethrower down there. We scorch it, get back out and win the day. Sounds fair?" She asks, looking around at faces she recognize, and some she doesn't recognize, from her old life. The Quarian John'Shepard, who has assumed her role in this reality, is looking right at her. _Probably to see if I mess up… _she thinks, standing full height, and still not being near his.

"Actually, there is a… minor flaw in that plan." He says, drawing eyes to him from the entire group.

"Commander. What is the flaw?" She asks, as politely as one can when she is used to be the one giving the orders, not answering to them.

"We do not have any flamethrowers. Otherwise Commander, it's a good plan. Simple yet relatively foolproof." _Did he just call me commander? Guess I misread the bugger. Then again, Tali is with him, and she always was a good judge of character _

"Hmm… that could make things more difficult. So what do we do Shepard, just go down and shoot it?"

"I reckon that's as good a plan as any… Shepard." _Okay…_ she cannot help but think. _This is getting borderline weird._

* * *

_Man… that was one hell of a hangover… I dreamt Ash tried poisoning me with some kind of gas, and then we kissed with tongues… or was it the other way around? Damn, my head hurts!_ I slowly open my eyes, half expecting to wake up in the med-bay where I'm starting to think I'll be sleeping more than in the crew quarters. My throat is sore and dry, and my nose feels like someone poured chlorine in it. I am partially surprised and oddly relieved to find that I'm still on Feros. The others are about twenty meters away, speaking about God knows what, but I'm guessing they are either planning my birthday next month, or planning to take out the Thorian. It's a win-win really. My arms are sore as well, and my left hand is asleep. _Damn, I hate it when they do that_. I shake it to wake it up, and end up smacking Ash's behind in the attempt. She gives a startled squeak, but settles down once she sees that it's just me. Then, she punches me on the ass as well. Or, as much as she can when I'm lying down. She really just shrugs, then settles for punching my leg.

"Well good morning to you too Ash." I say, keeping a smile on my face as she stands to help me up.

"How are you feeling?" She says, her face a mixture of worry and relief.

"I think… I'm going to mutate into a zombie!" I say, causing her eyes to widen at first, then grow small. _Damn, I pissed her off!_ She delivers a kick to my butt in the side she knows I was shot in... it hurts.

"That wasn't funny!" She says, her voice in mock-anger.

"Sorry, sorry! Don't kill me!" I say, covering my head in fake terror. Ash just lands a smurf-kick on my head, which is still without a helmet.

"Get your helmet on dumbass; we have to go hear what the others have decided on doing with that Thorian-thing." I give Ash a nod, and we head over to the group. Scorch and Nicolai notices me as the first, and of course Nic has to shout out;

"Morning sunshine. Slept well?" He is trying to get to me, I know it. Oldest game in the book.

"As a matter of fact, yeah. Being infected by a Thorian does have its perks. I can highly recommend it if you are interested."

"Ah, no thanks. I think I'll manage just fine without trying to kill myself." He receives a kick in the butt from Tequila here, and somehow I can't help but feel those two can make a good pair. _Kinda like Naruto and Sakura…_

"Oi corporal, just a request, but could you wait with the invalidation till we are off this planet?" I say, half-laughing.

"Good to see you up and running again Fisher. We have just finished our plan, and Jane and I have come up with something simple yet brilliant." John says, motioning to Jane. _Are they working together? Cool._

"So… seeing as I am the only one with no idea as to what it is, can one of you fill me in?"

"Commander Jane Shepard will brief you all on the full plan now. Pay attention." He says, before giving Jane the o.k. sign. Jane turns on her Omni-tool, and projects a map from it. It shows the entire colony in a 3-D way, and she focuses on a shaft that seems to open into the colony. Only it's blocked by a building.

"Listen up fellas, we have ourselves a nasty type of weed down there, and apparently we now also have a way in. Now, I'm not going to lie to you: Given the resistance we have seen up here from those acid-spitting husks, I reckon we will meet more of them the closer we get to the Thorian. As an extra objective, Nihlus Kryik was taken by those things, so he will most likely be down there as well. We know the way down is underneath the compartments over there, and we already have a crane ready to lift the whole thing into place… or rather, out of place. Now, to reduce the chaos down there, the commander and I have decided to split up again. If we take the whole team down there, we risk not only being clumped together, but we also leave the colony unattended, should the geth return. John'Shepard will stay here with the rest of the squad, while I take a squad of six men down there. So to sum it up; We open the hatch, go down there, and kill everything that's green and moving. Now, I want the commandoes, Fisher and Vakarian with me down there. Got it?"

"Yes Ma'am" Delta team, now including the fully functional Fixer, immediately barks. _Clones…_

"Sure, I'm itching for some payback." I say, caressing my pistol and checking its heat sink. _All good…_

"Sure thing, let's try and find Nihlus. Then he can stuff the 'Vakarian, you are a bad Turian' crap." Garrus says, checking his rifle.

As we move towards the crane, with John's team bunkering down different places around the heart of the colony, Ash grabs a hold of my shoulder. I'm expecting another embrace, but she punches me in the breastplate instead;

"Same way as before Rookie. Stay safe down there." I give her a nod, and for some reason, I can't help a grim smile at the situation. It's the same as before, with me gone, and Ash to take care of the rest. And while I know it isn't like that in reality, I can't shake the thought.

"You too Chief. Try not to get besieged by zombies again… and do try and teach Nic some manners." The last comment earns me a smile. It's a faint smile, but it's there. Despite I can't see her mouth, due to the mask and breather-unit, I can tell by her eyes that it's there.

_two minutes later_

"Belly of the beast, huh?" I say as we descend down the stairs. Fixer got the crane working, but only after Sev had delivered a solid kick to the mechanism, rustling out something that seemed to block the gears. He got the 'love the machines, and they will love you' talk from Fixer as the crane sprung to life.

"That's one way to put it. Never figured I would be doing this when I quit C-Sec."

"Do what Garrus? Fight geth in creepy corridors?"

"Nah, exterminate plants." He says, a small chuckle in his voice. I swear, I never grow tired of listening to Turians talk. Their double voices are just awesome.

"Me neither… well, I just didn't leave C-Sec… you know what I mean…" I say, as I cautiously kick a geth trooper lying on the ground. Its flashlight is out, and a major part of its side has been corroded away. Like someone bathed it in acid. _Man… _

Up ahead, more geth are sprawled all over, most of them in the same condition. Some are even torn apart. A big shape is lying in the midst of the robots, and when I come closer to it, I recognize the shape of a krogan. He is lying on his stomach, and there is a lot of blood around him.

"Looks like even the Krogans are here… with the geth or against them?" I ask, taking a closer look at him. Jane moves to our position and looks at the "space-turtle" as Tequila calls them.

"I'm guessing he was with them. Saren hired a lot of mercenaries to take us out and do his dirty work. Like the Turians he sent for me at Cora's Den." She says.

"I don't… NAMIRA!3" I say, almost jumping back. While Jane was talking, I was overturning the Krogan to see his face. Don't ask me why. When I overturn the Krogan, I am close to throwing up. The Krogan, while looking fairly intact from behind… has been… I am not even sure what to call it. Eaten? Where there would be a face and a head, only the remains of the neck and some of the head-plate remains. His throat is opened and the now loose tissue, arteries, along with the gullet, the air pipe and well, flesh, is hanging like someone just ripped out a socket from a wall, and most of the wires followed. Upon being turned and disturbed, the body changes position which causes fluids in it to pour out from the open neck. Among other things, acid and the contents of the stomach come up again, splashing onto the floor. I can feel the waves of revulsion washing over me, and I tear of my helmet in order to avoid soiling it when I lose a bit of my own breakfast. Wiping my mouth, I can hear the mumbles from the group, including the Deltas who joined us upon hearing my shout.

"Well… that's one way to go." Sev says. I just continue starring at the Krogan, now shifting my gaze to his body. It's "intact" to the point where the intestines are hanging through the ribs, most of them etched away, while some organs, such as the stomach, one lung and part of the kidneys still there.

"Spirits… what could do that to a full-grown Krogan? The husks?" Garrus asks, examining the body. The stench of rotten flesh and puke hangs in the air, and I can see that even Jane is taken aback by this.

"Don't think so. A Krogan would be too strong for them alone." I say, picking up my helmet.

"Whatever it is… I hope we don't meet it." She says, looking away from the corpse. She then walks to a door which, by the looks of it, had been the geth's main entrance to wherever they were going. I am guessing that is where we are supposed to go, but I really have no clue, so I just abandon the corpse and follow the commander. Upon arriving at the door, Jane tries to open it, but something has wrecked the panel, so the piece of shit is pretty much jammed. Fixer attempts to repair it, then just shakes his head. I sigh;

"So… how do we get on from here?" I ask. Jane looks at me, and I swear I can see something amounting to a… nasty smile? Don't know, but it looks like it.

"Commander, I'm reading hostile signatures on the other side of that door. At least ten of those walking corpses, or whatever the hell they are." Boss says, finally speaking after being quiet for almost fifteen minutes.

"So… when we get through that door, it's just breach-and-clear?" I ask, hoping that the clone will just say yes. That smile Jane gave me earlier kinda makes me think she has her own plan for clearing the room. Though I am not eager to see it, should it involve some crazy ass firefight, or her just storming in with guns blazing.

"Hmm… not exactly. We do not have any more breaching charges, and Fixer can't really do anything with a smashed panel." He says, eyeing the door; "Any suggestions?"

"Well I've got one." Jane says, moving up to the door. At first I'm about to say that I wonder if she knows how to hack a torched panel, but I take it back, due to lack of understanding, when Jane simply knocks on the door. Besides from the pangs of the metal, only a few moans are heard from the other side.

"Step aside kids." She says, and while I would love to berate her, telling her that I _am_ twenty, I quickly comply and move out of the way as she steps a few feet away from the door. Closing her eyes, a blue shimmer of biotic energy suddenly surrounds her, causing her entire frame to glow dark-blue. I can see Delta-squad is a little taken aback by the display of, to them, force-like powers.

With a heaving breathing, and other than that complete silence from her, Jane runs towards the door, causing Fixer to move even further away from it, as he had attempted some last minute hacks. _Better get the fuck away man!_ A blue haze follows her as she impact with it in what almost looks like a flying kick of biotic energy. A loud bang follows, and the solid steel door is sent flying the other direction, smearing multiple zombies against the wall when it finally stops, impacting solid concrete with another bang and the sound of twisted metal bending from the force of I-have-no-idea-how-many Newtons. Jane rises from the ground, dusting of her arms and shoulders, and then proceeds to crack her joints. _Man… what the heck was that?!_

Jane moves to the door opening, poking her head inside and knocking on the door frame;

"Room service" She says. I can't help a smile at the badassry of that comment. There are only two occasions where it is allowed to yell 'room service'. One is when you actually are there to provide vacuum cleaning, and the other is when you kick in or blow in, a heavy door. Which Jane just did.

We advance through the door, and my admiration for Jane's violent methods rise when I discover that only one out of ten zombies is still standing. The rest is most likely the long green smear that stains the ground all the way to the wall where the twisted form of a metal door has fastened itself into the concrete. Scorch whistles;

"Pheew… that is not something you see everyday Sev." He says, rubbing the back of his helmet with a gauntlet.

"Yeah, well, I could do that too… if I had those force-powers."

"It's not the force Oh-seven, it's _biotics_." He says, putting emphasis on the last word.

"Yeah well, I could still have done that… if I had those powers." He says, kinda grumpy.

"Sev, I think it is a good thing you don't. If you were a biotic, there wouldn't be any geth left for the rest of us." I say, halfway laughing.

"Just too bad for you then that I'm already the deadliest of us all."

"I think you'll have to take that up with Wrex and Jane." Garrus says, joining the conversation as we enter a large room. I look at the ground, and notice that it is covered in a combination of the moss, and some kind of green slime or wet dung. Each step creates a '_slush'_ when I pull my foot out from the green stuff. _Now this…this is why I chose waterproof boots…_

"Anybody know just what kind of green slime this is?" I ask as we move to an adjacent room. So far, we have encountered no more of the zombies. _Maybe this will actually be as easy as the plan said…_

"_Wouldn't hold my horses on that."_

"_Hmmm? Why not?"_

"_Things are never that easy."_

"No, but it chills me every time I step- Spirits…" Garrus says, as we enter the room, coming clear of the halfway ceiling over our heads. He stops dead in his tracks, as do the rest of us.

"Spawn of Namira…" I mutter, unable to raise my voice above close to whispering.

"Boss… are you seeing what I'm seeing here?" Fixer asks, starring at the thing in front of us.

"I… hope not…" For the first time since they met us, and since they entered this universe I'm sure, Boss sounds nervous.

"I think we should have brought a bigger gun." Jane finally says, as we all look upon the… creature in front of us. To call it a plant would be an insult to plant life on Earth. The being in front os us is about the size of a house, and looks more like a cross between a giant heart, and some kind of shell-less crayfish. It has a deep brown and almost sick and infected tissue-like color. A heavy breathing echoes through the room. Its long tendrils are penetrating the walls, edging around the corners and through doorways. In the midst of the mass, is what looks like a big mouth, like the beak on an octopus with the tendrils as well.

"Taking the risk of saying what we all think… that does not look like any plant I have ever seen before… and I have been around." Jane says. I can only nod, while keeping my eyes fixed on the long… something that comes out of the thing. The mouth can best be described as a long organism, or the ass on an ant queen combined with the tendrils of a squid. And actually, that is not too far off. Especially considering what happens just now;

"Am I the only one who thinks it looks like something is… coming out of the long… tendrils-thing?" I say as I keep my eyes on it. When the end opens, a lot of slime and fluid pours out from the opening. Now that alone made me a bit uneasy, but then… this happens. A pair of legs, complete with pants are emerging from the opening. Considering what happens next, I would be okay with the thought of the thing just spitting out its last meal. But then, the legs continue up and become a body, complete with arms and head. It is an Asari, and that would be nice and not so disturbing, if not for the factors that she just came out the ass or mouth of a giant plant, and the fact that instead of being blue, she is all green. When she lands on the floor with a wet '_splash'_, I am close to throwing up again, but I hold it back, closing my eyes and attempting to ignore the wet_ 'sloshes_' that sounds for each step this thing takes towards us. When I open my eyes again, the walking has stopped, and the green Asari is standing mere three meters away from us. _Mother of God! Add this to the top-three of the most disgusting things I have ever seen!_

"_Done, and give me just two seconds while I go throw up in your head."_

"_It was a…never mind, what the hell is that… thing? And don't puke in my head!"_

"_If I had to guess, I would say it is an Asari… but how did she come from in there?"_

"Stay clear of her! _D__emagolka_2 is what she is!" Scorch shouts, keeping his rifle trained on the green Asari. She does not appear to notice that the rest of the commandos' rifles follow Scorch's, ready to blow her head off, should she try anything. Then, she starts talking;

"Invaders. Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose."

"Motherfucker… it talks!" I can't help but exclaim. The Asari doesn't remove its gaze from Jane, who has been returning its stare with what I can recognize as a mix of disgust and disbelief.

"I speak for the old growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe."

"I would rather see you be on fire, after what you have done to my head." I sneer, but I'm not sure if I should say it to the green woman, or the giant plant-thing. Jane breaks her gaze from the Asari, and turns to me.

"Shut it Fisher, let me handle this."

"Sorry ma'am." Jane then turns back towards the green Asari.

"You gave something to Saren, something I need. And I believe you also hold one of my team-members captive. Give me what I want and we won't erase you from existence."_ But wait, killing this thing was Jane's idea_… _what is she up to?_

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the long cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend to the next cycle. Flesh fairly given. The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies. It will listen no more." _What about Nihlus you green bitch?!_

"We won't let you keep your slaves. Release them all, now!" Jane says, taking a step towards the green woman-thing. The Asari now looks mildly pissed;

"No more will the Thorian listen to those who scurry. Your lives are short, but have gone on for-"

_**Bang!**_

A scorched hole emerges between the eyes of the Asari, and her eyes roll upwards before she collapses on the floor. Green fluid pours from where red matter and brain should have been. Sev puts his pistol back in its holder. Jane turns to him with a hand on her own weapon, glowing bluely;

"What the hell was that for?" she says.

"What? She would have attacked us in a second. I was just preemptive."

"We don't shoot unarmed people! Even if she was… a plant or something."

"Fine. I apologize for the rash behavior… ma'am. But can I then shoot the plant-bugger right behind you?" He says, pulling out his rifle and fires a series of laser that cuts so close to Jane head, that her shields activate. A loud screeching, followed by a thump can be heard from behind her as a zombie drops down, missing most of its head.

"Thanks. Good shooting, but warn me next time." She says, starting to glow again as more zombies suddenly emerges, most of them practically springs from the ground, like plants on LSD.

"_aru'es_!4 Enemies all around us!" Boss shouts before he opens fire on a herd of zombies marching through a nearby doorway. The fire from his rifle cuts them down and causes the acid in them to steam and hiss due to the superhot ammunition he shoots their way. I down a zombie only two meters in front of me, causing its head to burst. I take aim at another one, but suddenly I am pulled to my feet as one of them simply emerges from the ground. I bash its head over and over, and manage to knock it off, where after the body simply stops crawling up from the floor. I try to get up again, when more hands suddenly grab my body from underneath. _They are pulling me through the ground!_ I struggle back while calling for help.

"Someone give me a hand here! I'm being taken by those fuckers!" I almost scream while tearing of the hands of one of the arms, but it doesn't make any difference. They continue pulling me down, and soon, only the top of my head and my left leg is above the layer of green, and I can no longer move my arms. _No! It cannot end like this! Not yet!_ _I have too much to live for!_

Just when my vision starts to blur, a hand grabs my leg, pulling it with almost superhuman strength. I can feel and hear the slob fighting back, trying to keep me down, but that single hand is stronger than the green mass. As my body escapes the floor, I look up and see Jane letting go of my leg before she stomps down the arms now flailing in the air, looking for their lost price. _Did Jane just save my life?_ I may have to reevaluate my opinion of her, on a personal basis.

"You okay Fisher?" She asks, while she sends a pair of zombies smashing into the nearest wall. A great smear is all the evidence that they ever existed.

"Fine. Thanks Shepard." She looks around, then stops and point at a large tendril going into the wall. She then heaves me up.

"And now you can repay me. See that big nerve-tendril over there?" _so that is what it is?_

"Yeah?"

"Your job is to destroy it as much as you can, as fast as you can. we'll cover you."

"Why?"

"The ExoGeni guys told John that the Thorian depends on its connections to the rest of the organism to survive. We cut them off, we kill it."

"Alright, you've got any grenades?"

"Sure, always carry three of 'em. Why?"

"Give 'em to me. I am in the mood for some payback." I send her a grin which I guess does some kind of impression on her, because she unclips her grenades and hand them to me;

"Have fun." She says, and I run off, through the slob, towards the great nerve-thing. When I stand before it, I realize it was a good thing I got those grenades. I would have never taken thing down with my pistol, infinite ammo or not. I grab one of the grenades and stick it in between the wall and the organism. The next goes the same way. I prime the last one, putting it among its friends. Now I just have three seconds to move my ass before the whole thing blows. It's just hard as hell, running through this mess. When I have managed to get around the corner, no more than three meters away from the bombs, the grenades go off. The blast sweeps away a portion of the slob in front of the doorway, uncovering a hole in the floor. _So that's where they come from… a hole…_ when I look inside the room again, the nerve-tendril is almost completely obliterated, there is a searing heat, and the remains are burning. _Wow… can't believe that actually worked…_

"Good job Fisher!" Jane shouts, while she warps a group of zombies in powder. She points at another door on the far side of the room;

"There is another one in there. Same as last time." She says, producing a last grenade with her Omni-tool. She hands it to me where after she returns to work on thinning out the enemy's numbers.

"No offence commander, but can't we just blow up _this_ giant thing? I mean, it is sitting out in the open like a sitting duck."

"Go ahead, try and shoot it. I've already wasted a heat sink on it, and it didn't even start to bleed." She says, kicking a zombie in the chest and squashing its head when it is down. She quickly removes her foot before it is eaten by acid, but the surrounding green dung isn't affected in the least. It just absorbs the acid like a sponge would water.

"Alright, I'm going." I still have my own two grenades remaining. _Weird, I could have sworn my armor had three when I rushed out of the Normandy…_ So I take her grenade and wade through the plant-dung, moving what feels like a click an hour. I'm almost tackled by another zombie, but since my grenades are in the belt, my gun is in my hand, so I put the entire sink into the fucker, ending up with bashing its head in with the searing side of the pistol. The fucker is tougher than the rest of them, and I have to keep bashing until its brains or whatever it is, splatters across the floor, and its claws lose their grip on my armor.

I run into the chamber and place the charges. When I'm done, I prime the last grenade and stick it in there with the others. I turn around to leave, but I am stopped. In front of me is the green Asari. She has no hole in her head, and she is staring at me with a look that could kill. Before I can even raise my gun, she flings me across the room and smashes me into a corner, only seven meters inside the room. _Fuck! I thought Sev blew out her brain!_

She stands above me, arms glistering blue, and with the gaze of a hunter eying its prey. _Well… I'm fucked. At least the grenades will take her with me…_ And as if they were awaiting my command, the bombs go loud, enveloping the entire room in flame and smoke, besides spreading plant material all over. I'm smashed against the wall again, the flames and the heat starting to boil and melt my armor. My helmet's glass cracks and the in-build computer fails. My Omni-tool flickers to life, and then erupts in a shower of sparks that, for a few moments overpowers the pain from the explosion. My shields are gone, vaporized in the heat from what amounts to a seven kiloton bomb. Or at least, that is how it feels. My right leg feels like it is broken, and my already broken arm snaps like a piece of wood against the wall. The pain is excruciating. My skin is starting to blister, especially on my left arm, where I couldn't fit my gauntlet or my arm's armor. The gauze burns away, and leaves my skin exposed to the heat from the now flaming room. _At least… there is no sign of the Asari…_

"_Thomas! Get up!"_

"_Can't… it… hurts too much…"_

"_Listen you inbred moron! If you don't get up now, you die!"_

Roku really sounds scared._ Well, he would be out of job if I died… can't have him unemployed, now can we?_ I try moving my leg, standing on it, but the pain tells me that it really is broken. I can move my left a bit, but it still hurts like hell. At last, the pain just becomes too much. I slump down against the wall again.

"_I know… but it just hurts too much…"_

"_Well then, then I'll just have to drag your ass out of here… this is gonna hurt…"_ And not even a second has passed from he said that, till my limbs, broken and intact alike, starts working on their own accord, carrying my body to a standing position. I'm close to blacking out, but I manage to keep my eyes open and feel the tears of pain as Roku… carries me out from the burning inferno of that room. With each breath, I can feel a tremendous pain in my chest, like someone is stabbing me with a long sword from the insides. I must have broken some ribs, but did the Asari or the explosion do that? Through blurry and almost closed eyes, I can see Jane and the rest fanning out, cleaning up the zombies with one of the clones running down a ramp from upstairs, and explosions following his steps.

Through the thundering headache the pain is giving me, I can scarcely hear the sound of repeated gunfire. Jane and Sev are now pressed into a corner, both relying on their guns instead of her biotics. She must have reached her limit. Fixer is on the ground wrestling with one of them, while Garrus is pulling it off him. My gun hand raises on its own accord, pointing at and blasting a hole through the head of the nearest zombie. It then continues to zero in on others, putting a bullet through the head without me even having to aim. Not that I would be able to, I'm barely conscious. Garrus has gotten the thing of Fixer, and the two of them proceed to help out Jane and Sev, now more green than red, while I just slide down against a column and let Roku do the work for me. _Since when were you this good a shot?_

"_Never was, just am."_

"_That didn't… that didn't make any sense…"_

"_Hard to explain. Now, just let me concentrate. Only thing you gotta do is keep breathing and keep your eyes open. I can only control you while you are awake."_

"_This hurts like hell! You know that?"_

I am pointed against a doorway, where most of the zombies are coming from, and a rather big pile is starting to amount in front of me. I look down at my own body, and I can't help but notice a pool of blood starting to gather around me. The medi-gel isn't stopping it. Must be because of the heat from earlier, the computer couldn't handle it.

I am about to shoot the nearest zombie when a large explosion suddenly rocks the entire room. I look around the corner, or Roku does, to allow me to see what is happening at the center of the room. At the top, or near the top of the room, on one of the other floors, a horizontal pillar of flame shoots out from where one of the tentacles are fastened, and the entire arm is thrown out from that floor. A loud and piercing shriek comes from the Thorian as it loses its grip on the many walls, and starts falling through a hole in the floor. I can only stare as the massive plant simply plunges through the ground, disappearing from view. And as sudden as the zombies appeared, they all just dissolve. One, about to eat my arm, I just realized, simply turns into the same green dung as the ground is covered in, and just disappears as well. _Well… now I can… relax… a bit…_ I see someone standing over me, and I realize that my gun is no longer in the air, but at my side. Roku must have abandoned control when the last zombie was dissolved. I can't see who it is standing over me, but it isn't Garrus. My eyesight is nearly fucked due to the blood that has started running into my eyes. A section of the glass in the helmet must have cracked inwards, cutting open my skin. _Typical… I blinded myself… _

Someone, possibly the person above me, is, I think, speaking to me. I just can't hear anything. The pain is gone, all but the last remnants that comes when I breathe. Something, some kind of fluid perhaps, has begun making it harder to breathe, and it forces me to cough, even though the sudden intake of breath causes my chest to spike up in pain. Despite the fire burning nearby, I feel strangely _cold. I don't like the cold… _I look down again, and while someone is hoisting me up, I can see a now rather big pool of blood where I sat.

When I land on the shoulders of said person, the pain in my chest reaches new levels, and I black out.

_Illium_

When Olafur woke up, he could at first not remember just where the hell he was, or how he had gotten there. The room was sparsely lit, and the ceiling was covered in hanging nets and crates filling them. After some temple-massage, he could feel a sharp pain in his cheeks. More specifically his left cheek. It felt like it was burning, coated with fire or being touched by searing iron;

_What the hell happened last night?_ He thought, before looking around a bit more.

_Why is my head feeling like a football?_ He then noticed that he could not recognize this place as anywhere on Nos Astra he had been before. There was none of the blue and white sterile light that usually was so abundant in the Asari megacity. There was dust in the air, and rust on the ceiling. The whole place smelled of oil and something he hoped he mistook for shit. At least, it smelled like shit. _Doesn't everything these days? _He thought to himself, before noticing that his head and his entire body rested on a thin madras. He could easily feel the steel floor beneath his body, and now he also noticed that the pain in his cheek was suddenly lessened by huge amounts as someone applied a cold fluid and cloth to it. _Must be Jane… did we get involved in another bar fight? I really can't rememb-… oh… right…_ He suddenly remembered the events that had transpired the last two months. His date with Jane on the Citadel, that trigger-happy lowlife who wanted his money, the bullets entering his body, shredding his organs and arteries, waking up on Illium, dressed in that weird coat and being beaten by a bird-brain. He lay there with closed eyes again, pondering on what had happened. For some reason, the word bird-brain made him think of Garrus. _Sorry pal… wasn't referring to you…_

When the cold feeling came back, and the pain lessened again, he flung his eyes wide open. The visor just over his head almost flew back in shock and surprise as his head jolted upwards, only to smack into a crate. Instead of hanging in the ceiling, they must have them near the ground… or, that was what he thought until he noticed that the entire room wasn't much more than a meter and a half or so in height. _Where the heck am I?_ His head had started killing him again, causing him to grab his head with the open palm of his right hand; a hand he then realized missed a finger. It was all gauzed up, the white and brown linen stained with blood. _Well… I don't remember that one…_ when he looked around again, he noticed the outline of a person against the only source of light in the room. He could remember waking up to the visor, and realizing that he was looking at a Quarian girl, he almost caught himself asking "Tali?" It was only because he knew, deep inside, that he was no longer anywhere near the girl he had come to consider a friend, as well as almost a little sister.

"Keelah! You… you scared me." The synthetic voice came out. _Yep, definitely not Tali… _Removing his hand from his forehead, he dared a closer look at her. She wore a light green veil, and the same purple visor as Tali and any other Quarian he had met did. Her suit was a pleasant mix of a darker green and blue dots and spots around the suit. It definitely looked a lot different than Tali's suit. Under the visor, he noticed that her eyes, the two dots of light, were fixated on him. Looking down at himself, he noticed that someone had removed his pants. _Thank God I still have my undies on…_ He saw that his legs, both the left and the right, had been bandaged and treated with the same white and now stained linen and gauze. The right leg in particular was heavily stained and colored dark red. _Man…_

"Are you… does it hurt? I mean, I tried fixing your legs, and I even managed to remove the bullets and stop the bleeding and, but then there was the matter of stopping it from becoming infected, and you face wasn't doing much better and… and… sorry, let me just… start over, okay?" The girl had spoken first, breaking the silence that had been between them. He could see her wringing her hands, fiddling with her fingers. _Not Tali… and yet, she reminds me so much of her… heh, wonder how she took my death by the way… wasn't like I was around to ask her… _not taking his eyes of the girl, Olafur slowly reached up to touch his chin, and felt the long gap that was currently only being held together by some sort of glue. It wasn't medi-gel, he could tell that much. _Have been shot enough times to tell the difference…_

"S-sure… go ahead… not like I'm going anywhere" he said, gesturing at his legs. He guessed that the reason he couldn't feel the pain, or the legs at all, was that she had applied some sort of painkillers to them. He then looked back at her, motioning for her to continue.

"When… when you stepped in… when you _stopped _them… defended me… I didn't really know what to think… I mean, no one besides another Quarian has tried helping me in any way before, and then you just throw yourself at five turians…" _Five? 'Could have sworn there were at least six…_ "I just… I ran. I'm sorry, I know I should have tried helping you, perhaps stabbed one of them with my knife… but I was afraid… and then you just attacked them, swinging the pipe like some Krogan on a blood rage... I actually thought you could beat them… but then he shot you…" She said, looking down between her legs.

"The one-mandible guy?"

"Y-yes. when he had knocked you out cold he… cut off one of your fingers. I almost threw up when I saw him stuff it in a pocket. I remember he said it should serve as a reminder for 'that human' not to mess with his superior races again…"

"So… you were the girl that space-smurf was threatening?" He said, now actually recognizing her as the female Quarian from the alley.

"What is a 'space smurf'?" She asks, most of her nervousness now gone, replaced by confusion.

"Eh… that's… well, you are not the first Quarian I've seen being subjected to racism and such, and when it's Volus doing it, I just call them space-smurfs, or mole-men… really depends on my mood. But a space-smurf is just like a smurf… in space. And a smurf… God, it's been years since I've actually thought about that… is a small, tiny really, creature that lives in the forests. They are always bothering this poor old and ugly wizard, and when he tries to retaliate… sorry, went into too much detail there…"

"So… you have a small race called smurfs on Earth?" Olafur couldn't help but wonder at how fast the conversation had steered away from his injuries, and to more… normal matters. _Though you can't exactly call discussing human child-lore with an alien girl for 'normal', can you?_

"Well… no. it's actually a cartoon for children. It's a very old cartoon actually."

"How old?"

"'Bout a hundred and fifty or so years… give or take a few." He said casually.

"And… you know of it? I didn't realize humans were this… nostalgic."

"Well, I'm a special case. But to return to matters, why did that ass-hat threaten you?" He asked, crossing his legs while trying not to make a sneer due to the pain it caused him. The Quarian must have interpreted it as if he was sour, or mad at her, because she went back to look between her legs again, now seated on her knees.

"Well… I burrowed some money… well, a _lot_ of money, from him, and when I then wanted to pay him back… well, I think you heard the rest…" He nodded, letting his intact hand run through his dark blond hair.

"Yeah… something about interests… and then I heard him say "your kind" and I… well, I guess the Shard Wine may have had something to do with it, but I just lost it." He noticed a change in her posture. Something about her seemed to relax a bit more. He took that as a good sign.

"But… I know this may seem like a… well, stupid question, and please don't get this the wrong way, but… why?"

"Why what?" he said, grabbing the bridge on his nose with two fingers, feeling it. _Broken… great…_

"Why did you…feel that way? I mean, why did you help me?" Slowly, it dawned on him, why she had seemed so unsecure earlier: She had thought he might just be prone to violence, or just picked a fight when he could.

"Ahh… you mean, why help a "suit-rat", don't you? Or a thief, or vagrant or beggar… or whatever the heck they call you guys?" the words caused her to flinch a bit. Barely noticeable, but he recognized the way she moved from when he had asked Tali about it the first time he spoke to her in Engineering.

"Yes… I mean, everyone I've met so far has done nothing but spite me and give me mean looks. Why are you different?" Her eyes were now back at his face. He could have sworn she was studying him, like if he was the first human she had ever seen. Not that he minded the attention, but it did feel a bit strange, having a foreign girl stare at him without his pants on. He then snapped back to her, thinking of something to say. _Do I tell her about Tali? Well… no, no, I don't. What would happen if she for some reason wanted proof, and we met or called Tali who then wouldn't know anything about me? Then this girl would think me a liar and begin to suspect me… so, I just give her the usual._

"Well, I've never really been hiked on that whole racism-thing that seems to be so popular these days. I've known my share of Quarians, and not one of them have fitted the description of a 'Suit-rat' or a 'thief'." His story seemed to have eased her mind a bit, as her six fidgeting fingers had slowed down.

"Well… thank you, you know, for the help…" She said, obviously at a loss for words. _She really isn't used to have someone helping her, is she?_ Olafur thought, not able to help a small smile that quickly became a sneer as the pain in his cheek forced him to shudder. _I think I'll kill that guy, should I ever meet him again…_ a bit surprised over his own thoughts, at how calm they were, he thought to himself;_ Guess that's Jane influence… guessed she rubbed off on me as well…_

"Don't mention it… been a while since someone actually got the better of me… then again, I used to be armed and in armor…" _And with Jane at my side…_ He thought, giving the ceiling an extra examination. He sighed, and then looked back at the girl;

"By the way, I don't think I got your name… if you don't mind, that is." He said. She looked at him for a moment, as to determine if he had some ulterior motives, but apparently, he came of clean;

"Tara. Tara'Velan nar Qwib qwib. Don't ask about the name, everyone does." She said. At first, he wondered if she meant her own name, but then it struck him. It was the ship's name. Thinking about it, it didn't really come off as a Quarian name.

"Well Tara, can I say Tara?" She nodded. "Well Tara, I'm Olafur. Or, actually that's my last name, kind of like Velan, but all colleagues call me that. Among friends, I'm just Magnus."

"It's… nice to meet you… again… Magnus. Can I call _you_ that?" She asked insecurity in her voice. _God, she even behaves like Tali._

"I was hoping you would… well, not that I would have forced it on you if… what I mean is… I wouldn't have minded Olafur or Sergeant either… but yes, I'm glad you will call me Magnus."

"Wait… Sergeant? Are you in the military?" _Oh Boy… I just had to mention the 'Sergeant', didn't I? _He thought to himself, almost facepalming, but he stopped himself from making a scene, and decided to answer her instead. A partial truth at least;

"Yeah… but I think 'were' would be a more fitting description here…Tara."

"You were discharged?" Tara asked, now even more curious of the human in front of her. This 'Magnus' had shown her friendliness, even got beaten up sticking out for her. She would try to give him something in return, help, if he needed it.

"Eh… not exactly… left is more like it…"

"May I… I mean, would it be okay if I asked why?"

"I… don't really like to talk about it… later?"

"Sure but… does that mean you want to stick around? I mean, I doubt there is anything here for you to do… well, that is… unless…" She suddenly seemed nervous, and Olafur didn't really understand why.

Tara looked at the man before her, her savior from earlier. His hair was the color of the sun, only a bit darker, and his eyes had a blue shimmering to them, almost as if they glowed on their own accord. He still had on his long human coat, a type of dressing she had often found to be humorous; why the humans liked this kind of clothes, was beyond her. She had, admittedly, chuckled a bit at his reaction to the missing trousers, but had taken it back when she felt he might be starring disapprovingly at her. She had wanted his help, or wanted to help him. Either way, she hoped he would stay for just a bit. Magnus was the first non-Quarian to treat her like anything but filth, and she wasn't eager to see him leave just yet. Behind her visor, she couldn't help a small smile as he uttered the word 'later'. It wasn't because she really needed his help, but there was something about him, something that told her he could be trusted. If he had some secrets, some memories he didn't want to tell her just yet, just all the more reason to keep him around. He could, she caught herself thinking, be useful. _And interesting._

"By the way, where exactly are we?" Magnus, as he had allowed her to call him, suddenly spoke up again. He must have wondered if they were even still in Nos Astra.

"At my place… if that is what you would call it. It's nothing much, really, but I can sleep and eat here, so that's enough for me." He seemed confused at her answer, rubbing his temples with the intact hand. _Though I bet he could use it better if he lost another fing- no! Why would I even…_ she did not understand just why she had considered this, but whatever the reason, she pushed the thought away. Humans didn't seem to function properly without five digits on each hand, a fact Tara never seized to wonder over. She got by just fine with only three fingers, and the Turians did as well, just as the Volus and Salarians as did. Actually, when Tara thought about it, the only race she knew had more than three fingers, besides the humans, were the Asari.

"And... wait a second... Tara, the way I remember the confrontation from last night… it was last night, right?" She couldn't help a small sigh, as well as a faint smile. _He really was drunk then?_

Something didn't add up in Olafur's head. The Volus Samor Kun had spoken of interests of multiple thousands of credits. So if Tara had burrowed that much cash… why did she live here? He had been around Jane and Tali long enough to know when people where telling lies of omission, and to know some Quarian body language. Right now, neither told him that she was lying. Apparently, this really was her place. But where did all the money go then? She must have burrowed hundreds of thousands of credits, at least, for the rates to amount to such an… amount.

"It was three days ago, actually. When the group had left you, blacked out and everything, I tried getting you to a clinic, but they all demanded papers and cash… I had neither at the moment. Samor had already taken every credit I had. So I had to…steal… some medi-gel from the place. Please believe me, I don't normally steal, but you were going to bleed out if I didn't stop the bleeding from your legs."

"Was it that bad? I mean, he only shot me twice… right?"

"What do you mean, 'only'? You were shot!"

"Yeah… right, sorry I'm just used to take way more fire than that… and just walk away from it."

"I have no idea how you would do that, but you were not just 'walking away' from that. You are lucky if you can stand on them when the wounds have closed."

"It doesn't hurt that much… sure you're not overreacting?"

"I filled you with painkillers. If I hadn't, you would probably still be screaming from pain as we speak." She seemed to have a strained patience, as if explaining things to a kid. Olafur threw his head back down on the madras;

"Great… just… great…"

* * *

**Alright, how was that? We leave Thomas bleeding out from his little suicide-bombing-stunt. We hear some more about the estranged Olafur, and we learn that Jane may be able to work with John, and not just have him assasinated... or do we?**

**Oh well, that is all in the future. Remember to review and tell me if I messed up, or if I did it just right. Was the last section in particular alright? Changing viewpoints is harder than you might think.**

**(oh, and this is totally unrelated, and probably borderline reclamation, or whatever it is called, but go check out " Mass Effect: The first War" by "ProfFartBurger" Especially if you like Quarians.)**

**So, yeah, forgive the trail-off above, and I will see you all... later.**

* * *

1 Kroner - Danish currency. 1kr normally equals 7,5 Euros, or about 5$.

2 demagolka - Monster, someone or something that causes great disgust and commits disgusting acts.

3 Namira - Daedric princess of ugly stuff, spiders and sickness. That kind of stuff.

4 aru'res - means "contact!" in Mandoa.


	15. Tears

**A/N:**

**Alright guys, next chapter out already. We left Thomas bleeding out and fainting due to major wounds and trauma, and we will now continue and end Feros. I have to say, I took an almost disturbing pleasure writing this chapter. You'll get the 'disturbing' part later on. Now, I won't spoil too much, so I'll just say the usual;**

**"Enjoy"**

* * *

Back from Hell.

The most alien screaming Nicolai has ever heard is coming from the passageway where the other team just went down not even half an hour ago. He has never heard anything like it before, and it sounds big, and it sounds pissed as hell. He doesn't have time to wonder what the hell made the sounds as another geth appears from around the corner. _Fuck, they just keep coming!_ He thinks as he brings the synthetic down, overheating his gun due to the spray of bullets. The loud beeping, combined with the emergence of two new troopers only serves to further piss him off, as well as almost making him piss himself. Blowing into the gun, in a somewhat weak attempt to cool it down faster, he notices a few bloodstains on his thighs. Leaning behind cover, he looks around for the wound and moves a hand to his head. His helmet was shot off by some kind of geth sharpshooter or something. At any rate he had still not seen any geth that could just zoom in on his head like that. The only thing that actually had saved his life was his own, stupidity, as some would call it. When the shot had come, and it would have taken off his head, had it been there, he tripped over his own rifle, falling an inch below the shot. The helmet had been cracked in two, shields completely vaporized as if they weren't even there. When he had gotten up from the ground, his helmet had fallen off his head, and was lying on the ground in two neat pieces.

_That's it. Next time, I'm getting some fucking heavy armor! This light crap can't do shit!_

Looking back up from his cover, Nicolai suddenly finds himself greeting the wrong end of a geth trooper's rifle.

As the synthetic starts squeezing the trigger, its upper torso, along with the head, simply disappears in a shower of fluids, metal and sparks. Looking up from shielding his eyes, he sees Tali stand above him, shotgun cocked in hands as she sends another geth into the wall with a large piece of its left side missing.

"Man Tali, how did you go from scared girl to this in less than two weeks?" He says, eying the rest of the field in front of him and around him. John and Wrex are further inside the colony, protecting the other side. He can constantly hear gunshots from their direction, and the occasional roar from the huge krogan. At least they are holding their side, so he would do the same here. Tequila runs from a nearby crate before it gets hit by a rocket, diving behind a low concrete wall. He sighs with relief, as the corporal is behind some more solid cover. He caught himself wondering though.

_How is it… I mean, why do I feel so strange around her? Sure, she is a girl and all that, but I didn't feel like this with the girls back home… and she is just supposed to be in a game… hell, all of this is. I sometimes envy Thomas. He has a much easier time settling in here. Always was the weird one…_ He can't help a small smile at this thought, but is brought back to reality when a volley of plasma shots impacts on his cover. The chips fly off the concrete as he bends even deeper behind cover. When the firing stops, he leans over and spots a geth trooper looking around the corner of one of the buildings. Firing his own rifle, he manages to fire the entire heat sink off, and only do what equals to scraping its shoulder with one of the slugs. Waiting for his rifle to cool down he spots two additional troopers coming around the corner. Sliding down his cover again, he looks around for anything to use. He is down to one grenade, and Tali has spent all of hers already. He can't contact John, Ash or Wrex over the radio, as the geth are somehow jamming their comm.

Looking down again, he grabs a grenade and primes it, waiting a few seconds before leaning over the cover and letting the ball fly. When it lands, it makes a few bumps before rolling to the feet of one of the geth. _Yes, finally!_ He thinks as the ball stops moving. The geth immediately recognizes what the object is and picks it up to throw it back. The grenade explodes in its hand, erasing the machine and severely damaging the nearby robots. He sighed with relief, wiping his forehead. There weren't any more geth on his, Tali's and Tequila's side, but firefights were still going on at Wrex and John's side. Thinking to himself as he slid down the cover, breathing heavily._ That isn't my fight… let Wrex help him there, he's the goddamn Krogan here.._. They had been at this shit for almost two days now, only stopping right after the zombies had been squashed in the colony, and then gone back to it a few minutes after the second group had disappeared under ground. He hasn't seen any sign of Ashley yet, but she can handle herself. She is, after all, Ashley Williams. She should be immortal until Virmire._ Man, am I jumping on this shit as well? We could all be killed in an instant, I should know that. There is no getting up from a headshot or from being blown to shit by a rocket. Well, there was for Thomas, but he almost lost his feet in the process._

Slapping his own face, he stared out from cover, overlooking the colony from the first window in the tower. Tequila had been put in charge of his group, while John, Wrex and Ashley were under the commander's leadership. While Tequila and himself were covering the colony from the window, relying on their rifles to be sufficient for the fifty meters spanning between the window and the closest building, while Tali and her drone were guarding their rear, especially keeping an eye on the area from where the geth had been deployed at first, where they had met the Delta-squad guys. The shooting down below was ebbing out, leaving only the occasional gunshot to be heard, until the scream of a geth being hurled off the skyway made things quiet again.

Leaning back against the wall again, with his rifle lying on his thighs, he closes his eyes, trying to calm down for a few seconds. The adrenalin surges through his body, still making his limps twitchy as if he should be ready to run for his life. _Man… this is definitely something else than Baboon City… I was almost killed, yet no one is panicking. And I feel just fine about that. Am I wrong in the head?_

Shouting from the colony catches his attention, as it isn't the sound of panic or the usual 'enemies upon us!' shouting. Looking back over the cover, down into the colony, he can see that people has begun coming out of the tunnel where the squad went down. From his position, he can see that some are being carried, some walking with a slight limp. He can see two turians, meaning that the group found Nihlus. Both of them are looking fine, walking with no difficulty. Three of the clones are supporting the fourth, meaning one of them had been injured. For some reason, an Asari is walking out with them, but he does not recognize her. Liara should be somewhere near the heart of the colony, as a last line of defense, should the geth break through. He can see the two only 'real' humans, but something is wrong. One of the humans is carrying the other on his or her back. He can't see who is on the back, but he prays that it's Jane. _Come on Thomas, don't be the person on the back!_

"You are back. How did…" Ashley said as she rushed out to greet the other team. Jane's team had been in charge of killing the Thorian, whatever that actually was, and she had been a little anxious ever since they left. Damn that Thomas, she thought to herself as she neared them. Why did he have to make her nervous for him every time he went on some suicide mission?

She didn't like Jane, or at least she didn't trust her as her own other version had apparently done. _That had cost me… her, her life._ Garrus and Nihlus were the first one up from the hole, with Nihlus walking as if he had been swallowed hole and forced to eat shit. He was visibly pale, and his hands were shaking. Garrus was walking right next to him, no worse for wear, and supported him from time to time. The clones, and by God, it sounded strange calling them that, were carrying one of their squad mates, the guy in red armor, on the shoulders of the one with the yellow armor. He looked like he was just passed out, seeing as he wasn't carried like a corpse would be. Even though she could not see the faces of the clones, she could tell by Garrus's face, that something had gone wrong. It was the last two people that made her stop speaking completely. When the only two, to her, real humans emerged from the entrance, Ashley's blood froze. Jane was walking, burdened by a heavy weight, and heaving for breath.

The burden was Thomas.

Her vision zoomed in on the body on Jane's shoulders, the cracks in his armor, the missing glass in his visor… and the blood. He was practically dripping with small red droplets of blood, leaving a faint trail after the two of them. His armor looked like it had been tossed into a bonfire, scorched all over and melted at points. The gauze on his left arm was burned away, and the skin was littered with blisters and burns.

Giving Jane a stare that would have both terrified and saddened even Wrex, she saw the woman return it with a small nod. As Jane speeded past her, carrying Thomas in the direction of the Normandy, everything became muffled, blurred and distant to Ashley. She just stood there, looking at where the group had come out from the tunnels. _Thomas… n-no… Tho- you…. You can't…_ her legs failed her, gave away. She fell to her knees, bending over and felling the tears press on, a lump in her throat forcing its way up.

Tearing off her helmet, she proceeded to throw up on the ground, letting the tears run down her face.

_What the fuck is going on down here?_ Nicolai thinks as he enters the colony from the tower's stairs. He had watched as Ashley sunk to her knees upon meeting the group, then throwing up on the ground. It couldn't be because… _no_, he thinks to himself. That cannot, mustn't be true. It can't be… he has to ask her, to ask Ashley why she was… what had happened. Walking to the woman, currently supporting herself on the ground as she had finished throwing up, he feels it as the blood freezes in his veins. His walk becomes odd and like that of a drunken person. He can feel the cold sweat, running down his neck and face. He stops a few meters from her, not sure what to do. Finally, after halfway hearing Tequila and Tali approaching from behind, he moves closer, slowly getting on level with his best friends girlfriend.

"A-Ash…?" he says, kneeling beside her. Waves of shakings constantly wash over the woman, causing even her armor to rattle. She doesn't answer him.

"Ashley… what…?" He finally manages to stammer, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. He is scared now.

"Ash…" He all but whispers, barely able to get his own voice over his lips.

"Tho…mas… he… he…"She manages to get out between the sobs. Although she doesn't speak coherently, the few words are enough to freeze his body to ice. He goes completely numb, falling down on his back. _No… No! This can't be ha- happening! There is no way! There is… no… way. _He breathes in, almost choking on his own tears.

"NOOO! NO FOR FUCK'S SAKE YOU PIECE OF FUKING SHIT UNIVERSE! NO YOU - FUCKING - CAN'T DO THAT YOU - FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" He cries, smashing his fists against the ground. His breath comes faster and faster, with shorter and shorter intervals. He almost faints from hyperventilation, but continues to yell.

"THOM YOU FUCKTARD! WHY THE HELL DID - YOU HAVE TO GO - DOWN THERE!? WHY THE FUCK- WASN'T I - THERE!? I SWEAR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING SADIST UNIVERSE!"

Tequila had stopped walking by the time Tengberg had reached the Chief, a woman the corporal had come to like, and almost admire from a professional point of view. She had always seemed like the kind of person who could have a stare contest with Death and come out as the winner.

Now, this woman was lying on the ground, tears and snot dripping from her chin and nose as she went into near-spasms.

When Tengberg, or Nicolai as he had insisted she called him, had reached Williams, and got some words from her, he fell on his back and started screaming. He seemed, and had proven himself, to be a reliable person, a guy with a somewhat quick wit and a good sense of humor. He would lose a leg before he let his friends down, and seeing them die, or hearing about it would more than likely cause him to lose it. He had never struck her as the kind of person who was cut out for the military life, seeing as he went from near-panic to a rage and almost bloodlust that was close to getting him killed when he was too stupid to get behind cover. Now, that person was lying on the ground, screaming out his rage at the universe and all that was in existence.

She had seen people die before. Soldiers, civilians, even her own sister when she had seen the vids from the Acheron-drop. Vasquez, as she wanted everyone to call her, had always been the tougher one of the two. There had been some fallout, some arguing and even a small amount of punches, followed with a hug, when her big sister joined the USCM. Now, she could imagine just how Nicolai must be feeling, having lost the only person he really knew in this place.

She herself had liked the private, not on that kind of basis, but had come to respect him in the short time she had been on the Normandy. He had shown a character full of a weird sense of humor, shown to be a good friend to those he knew well enough to call himself such, and he had helped save her own person back on the xeno-planet. He had even trusted her with his secret, her along with Williams, and tried comforting her about Rookie's fate. He could have become a great soldier, maybe even a leader, she thought, if fate just hadn't wanted it another way.

_Poor guy… ripped from his old life, he was just about to start a new one here… then this… fucking shit… happens… _She thought, then looked back at Ashley Williams.

_And her as well… losing all you know, every friend you've had in how many years she was stationed on Eden… then she meets him, and all just seems so good… that of course, it just couldn't last._

Next to her, she could hear the heavy sighing from one of the alien girls she had met on the planet she thought was BG-386. Tali, as she was called, had proven to be an affectionate character, possessing emotions and traits Teresa found to be very much to her liking. Teresa had, of course, heard the story from Vakarian, the birdlike alien called a Turian, of how Fisher had been helping saving Tali's life along with someone named Michel. After that, Tali had pretty much saved him in a firefight that followed right after, and they had been on friendly, if not best friend-like terms since then. The fact that Tali had found out that Thomas had known about the ambush, but simply chosen to forget it to make sure that some semblance of the story he knew, would be preserved, had cooled their relationship a few degrees. Even though Tali had told her that she could understand his reasons for doing so, there would still have been some time before she could completely trust him again. Not that either woman had told him that, to spare his feelings, but both understood the why's in the matter.

So far, the crew on the ship, the Normandy, had acted like a family, a tight knit group of individuals, bound together by a single purpose, but beginning to become bound by blood, sweat and tears. Now, tears were probably especially going to be the major part. Each of the people on the ship, even the flight lieutenant who normally spent all his time in the cockpit because of some nasty disease had seemed to be a part of the group. He, as well, cared about all the members of the crew, and would probably take it bad when Jane came in, carrying the body of someone fallen in combat. At first, when she met Jane in the cave, the red-haired woman had seemed like a fortress, both physically and mentally. She hadn't said much, besides the usual situations-check, before she was quiet until the point where the rock knocked her out. later, in the med-bay on the ship, Tequila had been given the chance to realize that there was a person behind the steel helmet. A person who experienced joy, sadness, anger… and regret. The corporal didn't know what a 'Batarian' was, although she assumed it was another sentient species of alien life, but she had recognized the word 'children' when it was said. Tequila could imagine Jane as being many things, ruthless, brutal perhaps even arrogant and non-caring, but not a kid-killer. Now, the steel-woman probably looked and was, just as destroyed as the rest of them.

"Dammit!" Tali cursed. Tequila didn't take her eyes off Nicolai, but put a hand on the girl's shoulder instead. The two stood there, watching the scene as the woman and man closest to the private were showing their sorrow, their agony and in Tengberg's case, their rage.

_First Vasquez, then Santos, Olivia, Rookie and now Thomas… why… why do people die around me like this?_ She thought, as she felt Tali lean against her for support. The girl was, Tequila could feel, actually trembling.

"This is Commander John'Shepard. We have finished mopping up the geth in our end. Status report." The comm. had apparently deemed it fit to interrupt the scene, and Tequila didn't know whether she should answer the man, or simply ignore it. Looking back at the pair on the ground, one of them now propped against a crate with an empty stare in her eyes, the other having fainted from exhaustion and grief, she decided to answer it, since none of the others could or would. Trembling, knowing what message she was about to convey, she moved her hand to the headpiece.

"This… this is Corporal Teresa Aquila. We have… we have finished here as well." Her voice almost broke, but she kept it together. There was no use in having the commander rush back to something he couldn't do anything about anyway.

"Understood Corporal. Why is Chief Williams not answering her comm.? Has the second team returned?" Now she would have to tell him, pray that he, as their commanding officer, would handle it better than the two people closest to Thomas.

"To… to answer that sir. The Chief is… not in a state to talk right now. The second team has… returned. We have…a casualty" She said, shutting of the comm. before the man could respond. It didn't help though, as just about every colonist not inside anymore could hear the shouting and cursing.

"WHAT!?" John's shout could be heard all over the colony. Tequila winced at the sound of rage, confusion and fear in the voice.

When the Quarian made his way back to the group, he found Ashley still sitting against the wall, and Tengberg still lying unconscious on the ground. His first thought was that one of these two was the casualty, but he could not see any blood, save from a few small marks on the ground, leading from the entrance to the deep to the colony's main entrance. Looking around, he found Tali sitting on the ground, next to the Corporal who didn't look like she hadn't moved from the spot since she arrived there. With a building anxiousness and fear in his stomach, he approached Tequila, who was looking at him with an almost empty stare, as if she wasn't aware of his presence, or what she would say. Standing in front of her for a few moments, he realized that she wouldn't speak if not spoken to fist. Resigning, he looked at Tali, and found her averting his gaze for the first time he could remember.

_At least it wasn't her. _He thought to himself. Looking around, half expecting to see a corpse on the ground, he found none and returned to the corporal. Behind John, Wrex had finally caught up with him and was looking around as well. Snorting he sat down on a crate. John turned his attention from the Krogan back to Tequila.

"Corporal Tequila. Who has been killed? You said there was a casualty, but I do not see anyone dead or wounded. Talk to me here." His voice seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she was in, as she turned her eyes to meet his.

"We… we lost Fisher…"

…_._

Muffled sounds, sharp, yet like listening through cotton. There is some sort of prickly and annoying sensation in my nose, and my throat burns. My eyes won't obey me, and I cannot open them. My entire body feels as if it was made from stone, and I can't even make my brain think the command to lift my arms. Not that I really want to. My entire body, aside from being numb and heavy, is hurting. My nose feels like someone is sticking two matches into it, and it both tickles and hurts at the same time. Although, for some reason I feel that breathing through the nose is significantly easier than through the mouth. Actually, I can't even open my mouth. It is somehow locked in an almost closed position, held together with something that feels a little like plastic.

I can hear my own breathing coming from somewhere nearby, like a tube or a pipe. My left arm feels like plastic, like it isn't even there. I can feel the air, rather comfortable to the skin actually. The temperature isn't too hot, neither does it feel like I'm lying outside. _Guess Jane carried me back to the Normandy. It was Jane, right?_

"_Right?"_ the voice I have grown used to over the weeks, Roku's old, yet very thick accented voice, doesn't greet me with a good morning.

"_Roku?"_

"_Hello? Are you there?"_ there is a slight buzzing inside my head, but it is very weak. It can't be him, as his buzzing always was much stronger.

"_Remind me… never… to take… control of… a pretty much dead man… again…" _suddenly, his voice returns to me, and I don't think I've ever been this glad to hear it. Though…

"_What did you mean by that?"_

"_Slow… down… I am not… really feeling at… my peak… don't… many questions… now…"_

"_Roku? What the hell is up with you?"_ There is no response, and the buzzing disappears again. What was up with him? I wonder and ponder over this, as I am in a lying position. My body feels even worse than it did when I woke up after being zapped through the universes and definitely worse than after the rocket on Eden Prime. Even the simply task of moving my eyes around inside the eyelids is difficult. Especially the left one. For some reason, it feels a little… heavier, than the right one, and it is also a bit colder, to describe it. Almost, like it was made from ice, and not whatever it is that eyes are made from. _I wonder… how long-_

"Has there been any change doctor?" A voice suddenly sounds through the colorless darkness behind my eyelids. It is muffled, like everything else, yet it also has a certain sharpness that allows me to hear the words, and understand them. I cannot immediately recognize the voice asking the question, but I am sure Chakwas will say the name in a moment. After all, she is the ship's medicinal officer.

"A little. The patient has responded to primitive neural tests, showing that the brain is still online and has some control over the most primal functions. There has been an increase in his rapid eye-movements, what we often recognize as a sign that the patient has been unconsciously aware for at least an hour now, but we do not yet know for certain whether or not this is because of the new medication, or simply a God-sent miracle. Frankly I'm more inclined to believe the latter." That was a male voice… wait, a male voice? Who is it? It didn't sound like Kaidan, and definitely not Garrus or any of the clones. Nic I know has no medical education, so I don't even bother trying to see if it could be his voice.

"Should we alert his closest? You know they have been trying to spend the nights in here. Especially that woman." The voice from before is back, now even more muffled. I can barely make out the words. She talks about a woman. Could it be Ash? I would like it to be her. That would be nice. Somehow, I am sure I can hear music. It's just a faint tune, but I am sure I have heard it before. It accompanies me when the light and dark from behind the eyelids returns, turning into a more deep black, but at the same time bright fade. _The Fade… hmmpf, I'm fading… fading… that is a funny word… fading… what is a 'fade' really? Is it a place or a thing?_

"How is he?" the sudden voice wakes me up, though I have no intention of opening the eyes just yet. They are still too heavy for my comfort, and it is nice and cozy under the eyelids. _A bit strange, now that I think about it…_

There is something familiar about the voice, as if I have heard it before. No, I know I have heard it before. It belongs to a woman, that much I can hear. The tone is a little more high-pitched than with a guy, and I don't know anyone, well any guys, with a high-pitched voice like that. Still, it really sounds familiar. There is something pleasant about the memory, about the voice, but what is it?

"So far we are keeping him in a half-way comatose. It is purely to ensure that he doesn't suffer from any side effects, should he wake up before time." The male voice says. He sounds… old, yet not Hacket-old. More like a guy in his fifties…

"So… he could wake up at any time?" The female voice sounds hopeful, and I now know that I have heard that voice before, that it means something to me.

"In theory… yes. But we have already received the miracle that the blasts and the hive-like mind control he has endured didn't melt him down or damage his brain. We have been able to restore the main part of his lost memories, though we are not sure if he remembers anything more than two years ago, and then about ten years ago. There could be gaps of up to five and ten years where he will remember nothing. From what we have been able to gather from the colony on Feros, and from the ExoGeni workers, it is a known, to them at least, occurrence that those infected with the Thorian spores were under a risk of losing all their memories. We have, on that background, and with the help of our Asari neurologists, been able to dive in, so to speak, and restore the 'engines' of his mind. We… I, make no promises, but should he awake-"

"Should?"

"When he awakes, he should very much be the same person as before, though he will most likely be a little… different…"

"Make up your mind man, is he gonna be alright, and I mean completely alright?" Aggressive… that sounds like Ash. I just wish I could open my eyes, but the lids still will not bulge.

"If you want my personal opinion… then I wouldn't get my hopes up. We were able to give him back what we call complete viability, but the damages were very severe. Honestly, I'm amazed he is even alive."

"He… always had a thing for surviving shit that would kill others." The female voice says, and I can almost catch a slight hint of a smile in the voice. Just like with Ash. _Come on eyelids, I want… I have to see her, to see if it is really her._ But as much as I struggle, I can't open my eyes. I can hear, through the chatter, the sound of the heart-monitoring device, and the beeps that repeats faster and faster with my struggle. Finally, I just give up, and sink back into the void. _Well this sucks… but at least I'm alive…_

A loud buzzing brings me back to what I guess is consciousness, and the same feeling and taste of plastic, as well as the poking sensation of the thing in my nose, is back._ God, it itches! _I move my right hand up to scratch it, but I can only make some of the fingers move. _Wait a… I can move my hand!_

"My lord… look, he is moving!" a voice suddenly sounds from somewhere nearby. _Hmm, guess I'm under constant surveillance… _

"Should we call for help?" another voice sounds, slightly more high-pitched, but also male. Kind of sounds like a Salarian, but I'm not sure. I continue wriggling my fingers, making my entire hand jump up and down on what feels like sheets. I can feel that the fabric I'm lying on is woven, possibly linen or something. So I'm lying in a regular bed, or at least on a mattress of some sort. I can smell a little, "reaching" behind the things in my nose. The place smells very sterile, or like Mordin would say 'like hints of antiseptics and flesh'. Okay, so I can remember Mordin. The doctor mentioned something about loss of memory, so I'd better check.

_Alright, I can remember the crew, Ash, Delta-squad, Nic and Tali. Jane and John, remember Joker, Kaidan and Garrus, and Wrex. Eh, anyone else? Wasn't there… oh, yeah. Liara T'soni. Alright, so I remember everyone on the ship, plus that other turian… what was his name? Nima? Nah, that sounds like a girl's name. What was it then? Something with 'N'… Nihlo? No, but it sounds more right… I'll figure it out later, point is I remember him. Alright, next one, my earlier life; I remember my parents, they were smashed, as far as Roku told me. I remember my boss, that asshole. I remember Nic and Magnus. Man, poor guy lost two good friends in a few weeks. Alright, anything else I should remember?_

"_There is… the moments with… Ash… you told me… to lock out of…them."_

"_Roku? Seriously man, what is wrong with your voice?"_

"_Don't worry… I am… alright. It just took a toll on me… to keep your body alive for as long as it took them to…"_

"_To what?"_

"_I… sorry, but my… strength is… really not at… its peak… as I said… before…"_

"_Are you weakening?" _It could be a bad thing, if my guide and eternal protector suddenly lost himself because of me.

"_I… no, but I… need to recuperate… to regain my strength…"_

"_Alright, just take care mate. Would suck to lose you already."_

"_Yeah, being un…employed always… was my biggest… fear… dying never… crossed my mind…"_ And the buzzing stops, leaving me alone in the darkness.

"So… should we tell them he is ready for awakening, or should we let him wake up on his own? I mean, _is_ he even awake? Could that just be a nerve pinging off?"

"From a medicinal point of view, if all was just another case… then I would just say a nerve…"

"But?"

"Well, there seems to be… something different about his brain. Like there is an extra set of what we call a 'mental firewall'. Whatever damage his nervous system suffered, it healed remarkably fast. Areas we normally consider beyond repair were… fixed, so to say."

"So, we are dealing with a medicinal miracle here?"

"Possibly. Having seen what I've seen from the patient, I wouldn't deem it impossible that he could be awake as we speak."

"But… isn't that impossible? So short after a trauma that severe?"

"Should be, yet… he has, as the soldier said, 'a thing for surviving shit'. It is entirely possible that he has regenerated tissue and neurological damage much faster than we expected, and the synthetic repairs would have played a role as well. Take the burns for example."

"They disappeared two days ago. What about… oh…"

"Yes, his body has an amazing rate of regeneration coupled with our improvements. I have taken some blood samples, but they have proved… inconclusive."

"How so?"

"Well, besides the amusing fact that he suffered from insomnia and post traumatic stress often linked to a traumatic experience at either young age or perhaps witnessing multiple people die, his DNA didn't give off any specific details. Hell, we even had to rely on his colleagues for basic info such as his age. It was like… I don't know. His DNA looked like what you would experience from someone subjected to enormous amounts of raw element zero, yet he is not suffering from any type of cancer, showing signs or symptoms of having tumors or even developing biotic abilities. It… I do not really know how to put it better."

"Well I'm certainly confused… should we ask his relatives?"

"Actually, they are not his family. We haven't been able to track them down, and despite we found out that he originates from the nation-state of Denmark, back on our home world, we haven't been able to zero it in more than that. We sent a picture of him, but I doubt it will get us anything."

"So, should we ask his friends?"

"I think so. Before you go, remember to give him a new dose of painkillers. The charts show he is starting to feel the effect again." I only just hear the last word, before the void takes me again. _Sigh… I hope that it is my friends out there, and that they are not just going to spill my secrets to two doctors._

"Can I at least stay here a bit?" a voice wakes me up, but the light in the room must be off, as the darkness behind my eyelids is complete, and not the usual half dark, half bright color. There is a scent in the room, a scent of something pleasant. Almost like flowers, but more in the shampoo-style. I just lie there for some time, inhaling the scent.

"You sure you are gonna be alright? All alone?" a female voice asks the first.

"I'm not alone." I suddenly feel something soft and smooth on my right hand; "Nowhere near it." Now I recognize the voice, and have I been longing for that. The aggressive tone from earlier almost gave her away, but it took the scent of her hair, and the touch of her skin, for me to recognize her voice. _Ash… have I missed you…_

I try to open my mouth, but it will not obey me. I try harder, desperately wanting to tell her that I'm alright, to ask her where I am, and what happened. I try to open my eyes, but only one succeeds a bit. Instead of looking at a ceiling, or perhaps even blue sky, I'm looking at white fabric and cloth. I have no idea why I can't open my left eye, but the right eye seems to be working just fine.

I can feel a hand, soft skin and touch, brushing against my own hand, the right one. I still cannot feel or move the left hand or arm. I have no real idea where I am, but with Ash here, I think I'm pretty well off anyway. Her breath is the only other sound in the room, besides the machines apparently monitoring me. Her breath is only interrupted by the occasional 'ping' from the heartbeats in the machine, and just listening to it makes me feel better.

"Huuuhhhh…. Thomas… why did you have to play with death down there?" her voice sounds tired, yet happy. It is her voice though, and I'm glad to hear it, no matter what.

"It's funny, I have been here every day since we got you here, and your buddy Nicolai has as well. And I… I just imagine that you can hear me, maybe even answer me… but I know that is just a… well, a hope." A hope? I'm perfectly capable of hearing her, I just can't tell her.

"I don't know, you know, what I would have done if you had died back there… when Jane came out of the tunnels, dragging, or carrying you, I thought you were dead, and she just looked so sad, like she knew you were dead." There is a long pause where she doesn't say anything, just breathing and touching my hand. For some reason, this triggers a nerve in my fingers, some of them twitching, causing her to stop for a moment, holding her breath. After a suspended moment, she continues stroking my hand, causing some of the hairs on it to stand.

"Then the voice started shouting about you being all but dead, and how it… he, was keeping you alive, forcing your organs to function, and how we had to get you to a proper hospital… he saved your life Thomas." _I know, he told me…_ Ash continues to stroke my hand till I slip away again, this time in a much better mood.

…

"Alright Mister Fisher, I am Doctor Emhart. We are gonna perform some tests today, and you will just lie still and let us do our jobs. Well, not that you can actually move, but we like to use a bit of humor in the line of work we do, alright?" I have been conscious for what I can guess is almost a day now, and have yet to be able to move more than just my hand. My face is still obstructed from view, or at least my eyes are. Ash has been in here several times, but so far it has just been the same one-way conversation, where she talks, and I just listen. I have learned that I'm at some hospital called the Huerta Memorial Hospital, on the Presidium, and that I was pretty fucked up when I was carried out of the tunnels. What Ash and Nic, he has been in here a few times as well, and John has visited once, giving me the 'get well. It is an order' speech. What Ash and Nic haven't mentioned, is how long I have been here. I am really anxious to know, as I may have slept through the entire mission, with some of the crewmembers being dead, and Kaidan or Ash having lost it. Now as I know that Ash is safe, I worry that Kaidan may have ended his days in a nuclear fireball. _Come on man, like Roku once said; "don't bother with what you cannot change, or what lies far in the future." He could really be a hardass at times._

"Alright, this may sting a bit." The voice that I have recognized as being the human doctor says. a few seconds later, I feel the needle penetrating my skin. Mind you, I would have done something stupid if I could move my arms, but the only thing I can do is to flip my fingers at the man. Even though they are pointing into the sheets, not even remotely in his direction. Soon after the needle has left my arm, I begin feeling this really odd sensation in my entire body. My right arm and legs go into some sort of spasms, and it really just feels weird. My heart-rate skyrockets, and the doctor gets a nervous tone in his speech;

"Now calm down, calm down. Easy there… that's better. Breathe… good, now exhale… good. Do that for a minute, get used to the sensation." The man says, and I can't really do anything but comply. As the feeling slowly eases down, I can feel every single hair on my body, even the chest hairs stand up. I can feel every muscle in my body tense as the whatever-it-was-fluid runs through it. Then the doctor returns. Or, I think it's him, the footsteps sound very much the same.

"Alright, I hope you did those breathings, else this is gonna hurt a lot." He says, a somewhat grim tone in his voice. I can hear a door being closed, and some kind of seal being shut. I don't like this.

"Relax my friend; you are sweating like a pig. This is just to check your if you will have full control of your limps again. The fluid was what we in layman's terms call a 'channel opener'. It makes motion and more simple movements easier and less painful." There is a short pause in his speech, where I can hear something being opened. Sounds like a box or a crate.

"Alright, we will start with something simple. Move your fingers, one after the other. Start with the thump on the right hand." I wriggle with the finger, and hear a slight sigh from his direction.

"Good. Frankly I didn't know if that shot would have killed you or at least damaged your brain. We are running a proto-type medicine on you, hence all the tests." _That guy's humor… is just wrong…_

"Now, move the next finger, and then the next one. You should catch on pretty quick." And I roll all my fingers, doing that penny-thing, just without the actual penny.;

"Alright, now move on to the toes…. Yes, good. Can you wring them all at the same time?... yes, very good. But they do smell." And there is a short break where I can hear a faucet being turned on, and water splashing down into a sink. Kind of amazing really, the stuff you notice when you can only smell and hear.

"Alright, we move on to the bigger stuff; moving your arm. Just, do something with your fingers when you are ready."I find this mildly entertaining, and I want to be able to move again, so I just instantly make a fist and the penny-roll. I hear a faint chuckle from him. Emhart seems to be enjoying his job. Which is a good thing, as a smile can spread like a disease. It is what the he says next, that disturbs me a little. Or, actually, a lot;

"Alrighty then, seems like you are eager to get underway. That's good spirit right there. Funny that you haven't complained about pains yet… oh, I'm stupid, I know. Trust me, I had actually forgotten about the whole reconstruction-thing. Now we just- whoa, your heart-rate is going nuts. Calm down man, you are in safe hands here." _what the shit did he mean about the "reconstruction-thing"? I wanna fucking know if they have turned me into a goddamn cyborg!_

"Now calm down Fisher, or I will have to sedate you again. I can assume the reason for the sudden excitement was the word reconstruction? We had to do some… repairs, after we had made a complete list of the damages to your body. Now, you will, if nothing insane happens, be able to walk again in about three or four days. That is thanks to the synthetic enhancements and the new… well, suffice to say, you will not look like a geth, or Avina in human form or anything like that. There will be small marks, but all in all, you shouldn't be able to see it in a mirror, lest you pull of the shirt. But we can talk about that later. Right now you still have to move your right arm, so let us begin with that, shall we?"

Man, this is really messed up. I have been rebuilt?! That should not even be possible for… I mean, that is what is supposed to happen to Shepard, either John or Jane. I can't go around with that kind of scars, I mean, I'll look downright evil! And what if I got those red eyes? I saw the renegade vids from the game, the evil Shep always had red eyes and looked like a Sith! I will NOT look like a Sith.

"Alright, try moving your right arm a bit. Just try to turn it around so that your palm will be in the bed, instead of the back of your hand… easy… easy, not too fast… 'dere we go. Alright, now turn it back again. Take your time… alright. We will take a short break, and then we will be doing this again. I suggest you focus on, what is it called? Mindfulness? Control and watch your breath, focus and relax. I will be right here next to you, in case something happens." That was… weird. I mean, I'm used to being tired out by running in full armor, or spending more than twenty-four hours straight out of bed. But now? I just got tired out by moving my limbs. _Man… I wonder how bad I look, with tha 'reconstruction' as he called it… was Ash actually repulsed by my look?_ _I hope I can still have her at least look at me. I have seen war injuries before, and those that demanded 'reconstruction'… were not pretty._

"_Try… not to worry. She will… still love you… regardless." _Roku really sounds strained. Wonder what actually happened before, I mean, what he actually _did_ to keep me alive.

"_Alright mate. Just try to ease up a bit. You really sound like shit."_

"_Sure… but it is not… that bad… I don't have the strength to lock myself out of anything… for the time being… so I can at… least… watch you and… Ashley together…"_

"_You never change, do you?"_ A faint but strained chuckle is heard as an answer, but he the buzzes away.

…

Ash is sitting in the chair next to my bed, I could hear that much from the scraping of metal against metal that came when she move it to be next to me. I'm still wrapped up on the head, though my mouth has been freed, and I haven't been able to move my left arm. Nor can I feel it. I have just been told not to try and touch it. And being the willing patient that I am, I haven't tried. I'm just really weird out over the fact that I can't even feel it. But as the Doc said, don't worry about it. So I just try to ignore the fact that I can't feel my entire left arm, elbow or hand. _This is where Nic would probably say something a la "well, at least it wasn't the right hand, if you know what I mean". Always was a pervy bastard… but he is good enough._ When he was in to see me, still wrapped up in gauze and with no movement of any kind, he told me about how he had been a little scared, having to comfort Ash and all that. I could hear the tone in his voice though. He was relieved. And happy. I'm guessing, and Mara forgive me, hoping that he took my supposed death nearly as hard as Ash, but I don't know, and I'm not gonna ask him when I get out of here.

I have no idea what time it is, as my eyes are still blocked from sight by that annoying gauze. I really don't understand why my right eye has to be wrapped up as well, as it did seem to work well enough when I looked around inside my eyelids. It is the left eye that causes me to worry. I hope I'm not going blind on it, ending up looking like Zaed, minus the scarring. As I said, I don't know what time it is, though judging by the sound of Ash's heavy breathing, and the lack of major activity in the hall, or where ever the other side of the door leads, is a sign that it is night on the Presidium, which is actually a funny feature up here. Seeing as there is no actual sun or moon in the Serpent Nebular, or whatever the giant purple gas cloud is called, they have artificial days and nights on the Presidium. I do not know how they do it on the Wards, or if they even do it at all, but people get by, right?

I can hear just about where Ash is sitting, sleeping. And, might I add, snoring. It is funny, as you would normally think that would make a girl unattractive, as snoring isn't a very… feminine thing to do in most people's eyes. A louder snore than the rest causes her to cough a bit, before continuing to play her music. Me? I find it borderline damned cute. I mean, how can you not find a snoring and vulnerable Ashley just absolutely adorable? I just wish I could see her. But I can hear her, and I can smell her. The scent from her hair effectively overpowers the smell of hospital. Thinking about these things, I can't help a smile. Even though it hurts my jaw when the curve spreads on my lips. _To think… a month ago, I was dealing with the problems of a civilian twenty-first century guy. Caring about not getting fired, not being late for work, bothered about the financial situation, hating our government… those things… now, I am lying here, shot up, burned and banged in a hospital on a giant space station ruled by aliens, with the love of my life sleeping on a chair next to me. With the exception of the wounds and injuries, this is the best development my life has ever taken._

I smile again, moving my hand up in front of my face, imagining looking at it, turning and using it. Scratching my chest, I notice that I'm clad in some sort of hospital gown. Probably to cover up some sort of injury or big wound. Sighing, I let the hand hover for a while, before letting it fall back down on the bed. A long snore from Ash, sounding more like the growling of some animal, or the sound of the engine of a car. I just smile. Usually, I hate insomnia, seeing as I always imagined the worst possible scenarios when the house was all quiet, but right now, I'm just enjoying the sound of her sleeping.

Cautiously, I lift my hand again, letting it hover for a bit, before moving it again. Slowly, I let it search for where Ash is, going for the sound. Suddenly, it impacts on something soft. Spreading my fingers, I try to find out just where I have touched her, silently praying that I didn't just grab her breasts. She might get the wrong idea about me, thinking that this was my first thought when awake. Moving my hand around a little, I find out that it landed on her thigh. Lifting the hand again, I move it up through the air a little, looking for something else. I lower the hand again, this time finding the leather-padded arms of the chair. Ash is still snoring, though my last touch caused her to stir in her sleep. Stretching my body, I move the hand inwards towards the back of the chair, finding one of her arms. She is out of her armor, dressed in soft clothing I'm guessing is her navy blues. I move my hand down alongside it, finding her hand, and letting my own gently rest upon it. She moves a few of her fingers, probably connecting the touch with some dream she is having. I halfway hope that she will start mumbling stuff like "come on you stud." Or "Oh, that's… nice..." but, I take it back. I wouldn't know how the hell to respond to it anyway. So I simply let my hand rest on hers, caressing it with the softest possible touches I can muster. Her skin feels both smooth to the touch, but at the same time it has the ruggedness of a lifetime carrier-soldier. Her knuckles in particular are rough, the skin filled with the tiniest cracks and small cuts. Letting my fingers run over them, I get a pleasant sensation running down my spine. Each of my fingers then travel down hers, careful not to press down, but simply travel over them. Small shudders can be felt through her hand, as she moves it bit by bit, as if hit by small bolts of electricity. A happy sigh escapes my lips, echoing in the otherwise quiet room. My fingers reach her fingers tips and then returns to the back of her hand, repeating the motion. This continues for some time, with me just stroking her hand, her having the occasional shudder or mumbling, but otherwise she just continues snoring.

After some time, I lay my hand on hers, just letting it rest there. When some seconds have passed, she starts moving her hand, perhaps because of the added weight. I'm about to retract my hand, not wanting to disturb her sleep, when a sudden sharp inhale of breath causes me to freeze. Her hand has stopped moving away. Instead it turns and tries to lock its fingers between mine. Slowly, the fingers intertwine, gently locking each other fast. After a moment of complete silence, with not even our breaths to disturb the peace, Ash breaks the silence.

"Thomas?..." She whispers, almost as if she expected someone else, or was afraid I had been moved during her sleep. I smile, and even though I know this will hurt, I respond with a smile;

"Told you… I had survived… worse…"

* * *

**Yeah, you thought I had killed him off, didn't you? I know you did. Ah, way too early for that... muahahaha!**

**I chose to give Feros an alternate ending, instead of just leaving the planet in glory, we left it with a near-death main character. I hope I gave you guys a jumbscare, but not cause you to ban and hate me.**

**Oh well, all in a days work. pumped this bastard out in two, actually. Even spend half the night writing, as I just could not stop.**

**Alright, hit that review button and give me your thoughts. **

**And, I have a special little quest for you people, if you are feeling up to it: **

**With the size 11. Find out how many pages I have written in total with the end of one chapter seperating the paper to the next one. **

**This is really more of a personal request, as I am curious, and have been asked multiple times how many pages I have written. Thanks already :)**


	16. What doesn't kill you

**So, I completed my mission, scaring some of you with almost killing Thomas in that last chapter. Gotta say, it feels great XD I know, I know, I'm a bad guy, but it really just felt like the right thing to do. Though it wasn't the jumbscare I wanted, it worked out just fine.**

**Alright, on to the chapter! **

* * *

What doesn't kill you

"You son of a bitch! Do you have any idea of how much you scared me back there?!" Ash almost shouts, drawing the attention of everyone within ear's reach, I'm sure. I'm almost glad that I can't see right now, as a mad Ash… kinda looks like a pissed of lion, combined with a raging bear… and that is only the start. She squeezes my hand so hard I could have sworn it would break again, and it hurts just as much. I am not really sure what's going on here. One minute, she is all "I am so glad you are okay" and the next it's more of a "I'll kill you for almost dying!" thing. _Women… I mean, come on!_

"A- Ash… what did I do?" I try to get my hand out from her grip, but she is strong as hell, while I could only just lift my arm the last time.

"You scared the living shit out of me, that's what you did! You made me think I had lost you! Do you have any idea of how long you have been in a coma?!"

"I- no, of course I don't! If you didn't notice, I haven't really been capable of asking before now!" I'm almost shouting back. For some reason, the tender moment we just had moments ago, has been replaced with e having to defend spending Talos knows how long in a coma. What the hell just went wrong?

"Two weeks! You haven't moved a muscle for two weeks! We all feared the worst, Nic almost lost it, Garrus was close to end up in a fight with one of the docs, and Jane has been spending all her time drinking her senses to shit. If it wasn't for Roku, you would have died back there!" I can hear something in her voice is starting to break.

"Do you think I wanted to end up like that? I was almost, as you said, killed. I don't know if you have personal experience with it, but being blown up, hurled across a room and then being almost melted, kinda fucking hurts!" There is a pause, where none of us say anything. I can't see her face, but I could guess she is about to shout at me again.

"I… I…" Is all she says. At first, I don't believe my own ears. I think I just won an argument with her. Not as sweet as I had thought it would be. Actually I almost feel like the bad guy now, though she was the one who started shouting. She actually releases my hand, putting it down on the bed.

"Ash… I… I didn't mean to-" I stammer.

"Don't… I was… why do I always start shouting at you? I keep taking my problems, my rage, my fears, out on you."

"Ash, it's okay…"

"The Hell it is! You almost died down there, and you wake up to me shouting at you? What kind of a girlfriend am I to do that?!" Her voice sounds more broken now than anything else. If possible, she sounds just as destroyed as after my suicide attempt. It tears at my insides, like someone just plunged a hook into my body and started tearing around in there.

"Ash…"

"I mean, what if you _had_ died down there? I would have killed Jane, yes, outright killed her. She would be responsible for your death, and I would be left alone… again."

"Ash, listen-"

"And what if you had been left with irreparable damage, or brain-dead, and with the intellect of a toddler? I would have-"

"Ash, for Mara's sake, listen to me!"

"Who's Ma-?"

"Listen Ashley, you can't go around blame yourself for things you don't have control over. Yes, I could have died, but I didn't, and as a matter of fact, Jane saved my life down there, so killing her would be a pretty douche thing to do. And no, she would not be responsible for my death. She just told me to shoot the tendril-things, but I used grenades on them, to blow them up instead. If anything, blame that Asari-woman, the green one. She was the one who tossed me back into the blast radius."

"Asari? You mean Shiala? She seemed shaken, not the type who would throw you into the blast radius… and she wasn't green. Other than that, I haven't seen any Asari on Feros."

"I'm not really sure if it was an Asari. Unless, Asari are normally born out the ass or mouth of a giant plant. But, wait I didn't see any normal Asari either… where was she all the time? We could have used her help…"

"Same as Nihlus. She was a prisoner of the Thorian… but she works, or worked for Saren. I don't really know the details." Now, I'm downright confused. Green Asari attack us, normal Asari just appear out of nowhere, apparently, and… if she worked for Saren, why was she still alive?

"So… she worked for Saren. Did you kill her?"

"Oddly enough, no." I'm glad to hear her voice returning to normal. _Man, that girl has a temper. _

"Funny… let me guess; she offered info on Saren?"

"Probably. I was too far gone at that time to really pay attention to it. For some reason, Nicolai really gave her the stink-eye. Like she should be put to the torch or something…"

"Weird…" I say. Ash sighs.

"You can say that again."

"So… are you… alright Ash? I mean, I really can't see if you are missing both legs or if your head is all wrapped up in gauze… help me out here?"

"No, I'm fine. Got a few scrapes and bruises during the combat, but nothing like you."

"Yeah, I noticed my head is wrapped up."

"Not to mention your arm." She says, a faint chuckle is evident in her voice.

"Wait… what exactly is wrong with my arm?" I say, lifting it; "I can move it just fine."

"Well… the one you have left." _WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!_

"A- A- Ash… Wh… what do… why are… what do… what has… what did you mean by… 'have left'?"The sound of her breathing suddenly stops.

"You… you didn't know?"

"Know what? The doc only said not to touch it!"

"Fuck… It… it is not there anymore Thom…" At her words, my right hand flies at the speed of light to grab my left arm… only to catch air. Frantically, I fumble for what _has_ to be there, for the strong fleshy arm that has to be there. _Why isn't it there?!_ I grab for the air towards the place where it should have connected with the shoulder. All I feel is a stump that goes a few inches out from the shoulder, and that's that. _My… my… my… my arm… what… what THE HELL?!_

"ASH! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ARM!?" I practically scream, panic settling in. _No nonono! This cannot be real! It's a dream, a nightmare, just like the visions! I wake up, and I still have my arm! WAKE UP, WAKE UP!_

"Thomas! Calm down! Please, don't… I mean, calm down!" Ash's hands are on my body, holding me down while running feet can be heard from outside. The door opens and the feet are inside the room.

"What happened!? Has there been a relapse?" It's the voice of Doctor Emhart. Just the guy to scream at now.

"Emhart you son of a bitch! Why is my arm gone?!"

"I would ha-"

"Why the hell didn't you tell him that you amputated it? What, were you just going to take the gauze off his eyes, then say "Whoops, by the way, you are missing something"? What the hell are you thinking?!"

"Now just a-"

"And how am I supposed to get back out there huh? I am missing a fucking ARM!"

"If you two would just-"

"Why the hell couldn't you just use medi-gel or something? This is the fucking twenty-second century, not the fucking Stone Age!" I continue shouting. I guess the guy is about wishing he hadn't taken of my mouth-gauze now. Well, too fucking bad for him, I want answers!

"Mister Fisher! Miss Williams! If the two of you would just kindly shut the hell up, I could answer your questions!" I quiet down. _Alright, then let's hear his defense…_

"Spit it out." Ash says.

"Well, seeing as your arm was beyond repair, and the medi-gel and antibiotics were only serving to keep the infection and internal arterial severing at bay, we had to remove the arm to save your life. We simply don't have the technology to threat damage that severe. Now, we do have, on the other hand, a ready supply of synthetic limps. If you would prefer, we could also grow you a new arm, but that process would take at least two full weeks."

"What do you mean by 'synthetic limps'? Am I going to look like a geth with that thing?"

"Lord no! It will be like… a very hard and very strong arm, just made from plastic-polyster, carbon-graphene and silicon-fabric. All in all, it will feel like a normal arm, move like a normal arm, and be just as sensitive as a normal arm. Just, it will be a hell of a lot stronger." This causes me to ponder. Could I actually accept a… a fake arm?

"Thomas, would you be okay with… I mean, wouldn't that be… can we even afford such a thing?" _We?_

"Ash… why… you don't have to-"

"Shut it Rookie. I'm not letting you pay your ass off when I'm around. Face it."

I… well, do you even have such money… how much _is_ the arm by the way? God that sounds weird…"

"Not expensive at all. The funding will actually be coming from the Navy's own account, seeing as you were decorated with the Purple Heart while-"

"SAY WHAT?!" I almost scream. I can't see the guy so I just shout at the direction of the last word. _Purple… I mean… how can… what did I do to… how did I deserve… what IS the 'Purple Heart' by the way?_

"_A… medal. It is awarded to… soldiers injured in active… service."_

"…_Wow…."_

"He… what exactly did he do? I mean, isn't that for those for are wounded while giving blood for… oh…" Ash says. She seems as much in wonder as I am.

"Look, I don't know what he… you, did that earned you that medal, but I'm guessing that it had something to do with why you are here." Emhart says.

"And you are sure this isn't some pen-pusher who messed up? I mean, plenty of other people are injured, and they did much cooler stuff than me…" I am not sure whether to believe this. I mean… me? The Purple Heart is what you always see people receive when they risked their lives for their comrades.

"Well, considering the fact that we have a lot of those on this station… I guess that could happen. But still, most people who survive getting a Purple Heart are usually more… positive about it. You almost sound pissed."

"I- I'm sorry, but it… it's just a lot to take in right now… I am not sure if I can believe it…" I manage to stammer. I am getting a cold-sweat all over my body, and I'm almost shaking. _I bet this is all some mistake. Better not get my hopes up… though it could be sweet if I was actually given a medal for something real-life…_

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Ash says. For a second, I'm not sure what to make of her comment, but it dawns on me what she means.

"Yeah, but you did accept it… after some time." I say, careful not to reveal to the good doc what we are talking about.

"Sure, but I didn't lose my arm… or my family…" A nervous cough from Emhart makes me turn my attention back to him… wherever he actually is.

"Ehm… since the Navy actually paid for the arm, we had it manufactured right after we… removed the destroyed arm. I'll go get it now… if you are ready. Should also give the two of you some time to… talk." And with the sound of a door sliding open, his feet leave the room. There is a short pause, where neither I nor Ash says anything. Finally, she breaks the ice;

"So… you're a war-hero now?" She says, a slight laugh in her voice.

"I guess so…" I shrug; "But don't start worshipping me now."

"Ha! Oh my dear Thom, I would rather force you to eat your medal than fall on knees before you."

"Nah, I think Nic would be mad. He could think I don't like his food anymore."

"He has only cooked for you four times while he was on the Normandy. Hard to get fed up with someone's cooking _that_ fast."

"You've got a point there… Ash… can I… ask you something?" I say. My voice is pretty hesitant, so she probably thinks it is something bad.

"Why so nervous all of a sudden?" She says, her voice slowly losing the laughter it had a moment ago.

"Well… it is something you said earlier…"

"Oh God, I didn't spill the secret to the doc, did I?"

"What? No. It's… well, actually, it's more like two things I want to ask you about. And I'm kinda glad the doc left for me to ask them."

"If it is about me wanting to snap Jane's neck, then don't worry. You survived, and she saved your life you say." I nod. She continues.

"Then I'm going to give her a chance… at least until we have been on Virmire… God, that still sounds so weird to say… to know the future… but what did you want to ask me about?"

"Well… you actually almost answered the first question tight then and there, but… how are you… you know, coping… with the whole 'future knowledge' thing?"

"I'm fine." That came out a little too fast, if you ask me.

"_I didn't…"_

Sigh…

"Ash… are you sure you are fine with it? I mean, remember when you were told of what Jane had been forced to do on Virmire?"

"Well, that was… something else. I mean, a completely strange woman suddenly tells me that she left me for dead. How was I supposed to cope with that?"

"Hmm… some would probably say, either faint or just handle it better. But I honestly don't know if I would have handled it much better."

"Really? You always seem like you are in total control, like nothing can surprise you."

"Hell, that's because I know what to expect. When… when Roku first brought me here, from my… well, my corpse on Earth, 2011… I was scared shitless. And when I woke up, realizing where I was… well, you saw the mess on the floor on Eden…"

"Right… I just assumed it was because of the booze."

"Ash… just because I'm allowed to drink, doesn't mean I get drunk every day. Hell, I think at that time, it must at least have been, what, a month since my last hangover? At any rate, I wasn't drunk… probably just Roku fucking with your equipment."

"So… how would you have handled the Virmire thing… you know, if you were the commander in that game you talked about?" _Namira! I wasn't really prepared for that one! I am not telling her about the time when I in Genesis had her… no!_

"It's really just a game… nothing to become really hyped over…" I say. My arm almost starts moving towards my neck on its own, but I manage to hold it down. Not gonna show nervousness now…

"Thom, it's not _just a game_, it is the future… well, possible future of this universe as we know it."

"Well… there would be a lot of fighting, which will be much easier now that we have both Tequila and the Delta-guys."

"What else?" I can hear the squeaking of the chair. She is probably trying to sit more comfortably. Somehow, I think she would be a little pissed if I told her how cute she had sounded when she was snoring only a few hours ago. So I decide not to. Besides, I have some more pressing concerns at the moment…

"And… and then there would be a place… a place where the person playing the game, controlling Shepard… would have to make a… a choice…"

"I know that. I at least gathered that much from Jane before I smacked her… sorry about that, by the way…"

"Sorry? For what?" This conversation just took a turn for the weirder.

"Well, for hitting the 'real' commander Shepard… must have been difficult for you… well, and Tengberg… but mostly you."

"Ash, to me… they are both the 'real' Shepard. Hell, I'm surprised there wasn't an option in the game to have a brother and a sister Shepard. John and Jane Shepard, sounds almost too alike to be a coincidence, right?"

"I guess… but again, how would you have handled the choice?"

"Between you and Kaidan? I am glad to say I never had to. Didn't really play the first game, so I never experienced that scene myself." Okay, so that was a half-lie, but how am I supposed to answer her? Just give her the "Oh, I mostly killed of Kaidan in Genesis, but I did remove you a few times as well." huh? I wouldn't be able to do that. Not now, and not in a million years.

"But… never mind, I am not going to press it, if it would make you say something you don't want to…"

"Thanks… I think. Perhaps when all this shit is over, and we have kicked Saren's indoctrinated ass back to whatever hole he crawled out of, and the Reapers are sent whining back to dark-space… then I'll have an answer for you."

"I guess I can accept that for the time being… but what was the second question?"

"You haven't really answered the first one yet… don't try to play me for a fool Chief."

"Fine… if you really wanna know, then I'm just… I'm not not-okay with all of this, but I'm not okay with it either. I think it's mainly the part of being viewed as a fictional character that gives me the creeps…"

"You do know that at least they don't hate you like certain other people we might meet along the way… you had quite a fan-scare back in my time."

"Weird to think about… so many people knowing me…"

"Yeah, and like you said, watching you bathing." I chuckle. This conversation is developing for the better now.

"That… is not what I wanted to think about… disgusting really…"

"If it helps, I never watched it… considering there even were such scenes…"

"Not sure if I should take that as a sign that you are a gentleman… or your way of saying I'm ugly…" She says, a faint laughter evident in her voice.

"Well, unless you changed dramatically in the time I've been here… then take the gentleman-option." She chuckles at my answer, probably thinking I'm sounding like an overconfident idiot, trying to score.

"So I'm not ugly in your eyes?"

"Hell Ash… I'm not _that_ good at these kinds of talks… I'm actually surprised I haven't started mumbling or sweating yet… but… if… no, that sounds wrong… eh…"

"Cat finally caught your tongue?" She asks, a bit of her cockiness hearable in her voice. _God I love that voice…_

"Well… to eh… to put it like this; If someone called you ugly, they would have to go see a doctor."

"Why? Bad eyesight?"

"Hmm? Wouldn't know about that, I would just beat them up for it."

"A man of violence now, are we?"

"Not really, but there are, as far as I know, two types of people in this reality I beat up, or try to beat up. One is anti-Quarian racists… which is also why I can't go near C-Sec for a while yet… and the other is douche bags who insult people."

"Huh? What happened at C-Sec?"

"Ach, nothing big… just assaulted some Turian ass-hat who called Tali a suit-rat… pretty sure I'll be arrested if I walk in there again…"

"Wow… not really the modest guy, are you?"

"Well, I did give him a chance for realizing that I did not like the word 'suit-rat', but he didn't seem to catch it… so, naturally, I handed him the palm of my hand. Felt a bit like smacking a plate of steel…"¨

"Just like Grissom said…"

"Who said what now?"

"Grissom… can't really remember all his ventures, but he travelled the galaxy, describing the different races. He said something about everything on Palavan being made of stone, except for the Turians. They were made of steel."

"Sounds like a cool guy."

"Yeah, I think he also started Grissom Academy, orbiting Elysium. Though I'm not sure if they simply named the place after him…"

"And Grissom Academy is?"

"Shortly put, it's a big school for the best and brightest humanity has to offer. Ranging from biotic adepts to artists to mathematical savants… I think they have about… two- or three-hundred students at all time. Supposed to be a pretty impressive place."

"Yeah, I can imagine… but weren't we talking about you just a minute ago?" I ask, changing the course of the conversation.

"I told you, I'm fine. Just a bit weirded out by all this gaming and future-stuff. Hell, who wouldn't be?" She says, sighing.

"Mmmmmm… I see your point there. So, I won't ask again, unless, you know, you wanna talk about it later." There is a pause when I have said this, where none of us speak. The squeaking of metal and plastic tells me that Ash is leaning back in her chair, perhaps lying down a bit.

"Perhaps. What was the second question?" _Second… questi- oh, right!_

"Ehm… do you… remember what you… eh, when… earlier, you said… you called me your… eh… when I was out throwing up, after the first nightmares or hallucinations, or whatever they were, and just before now… well, eh… some hours ago… you called… you said… eh… he, he… … …"

"Said what? Why are you suddenly so nervous?" She says, the sound of curiosity peeked in her voice. I can feel my palms being wet with sweet, and my face being hotter than the surface of the sun. _Why did I have to ask her that? Even begin asking her that? Why can't I just keep quiet?_

"I… sorry, but I really suck at talking about these things… what I mean… is that… eh… uhhrr… eh… the other night… when… after the nightmare… when, I think Nic said something about… no, you said something first… you said… well, he responded with the 'Hostage' thing… do you… remember what you said?" _Moment of truth, I guess…_

"That I would have to rescue you?" she says. Her voice tells me that she doesn't fully understand what I'm asking.

"Well… eh, in that sentence, you said if you would have to rescue me…. You…called me something… remember what it was?" I say, breathing in heavily. I am pretty tired of the sweet-soaked bandage over my eyes. It's starting to itch.

"Oh… is that what you have been so nervous about? Me calling you my boyfriend?" _Holy Divines! She said it!_

"Well… yes…"

"I thought you felt the same… especially after that kiss on Feros." She says. Her voice has dropped from the cockiness to a more modest level.

"Felt the same? Ash, of course I feel the same. I'm just not very good with signals and… this is coming out wrong… what I mean is, I have no experience with this stuff. And I… wanted to know if you really meant it…"

"My, Thomas" She says with a slight chuckle; "Yes, I did mean it. I liked you from the moment I saw you, though it was purely friendly. Then, after finding you safe after the shootout in the back-alley, I was… confused, over the feelings of relief I felt. I didn't really know how to respond to them… how to react to them…I mean, we had only known each other for a few days… well, you at least. I had known about you for at least a week before you woke up on Eden Prime. But, after your… reveal, on Therum, I… well, I don't know why I just did what I did, but it felt good, and then it just… went from there. I don't regret it at all, if that's what you suspect."

This kind of leaves me flabbergasted. That was… she liked me right after the dark alley? Damn, I suck at these kinds of talks and spotting signals… so… I have… a girlfriend? Guess I should have seen that one coming. I mean, she did kiss me on Therum… and in the gym… after I barely avoided she vented her anger on me…

"So… we… I mean… I would like to know if… are we…?"

"It's really funny how you shut up when faced with these kinds of talks. But yes; if you would like to… I want to spend some time with you. You know, as a thing." _Where did that birdsong come from all of a sudden? Why am I hovering above the bed?_ My entire boy is in turmoil right now. She just said those magic words. The words I have been dreaming about and feared at the same time. Dreamed about because… well, she is her. What other explanation is needed? And feared… relationships usually means a lot of responsibility, and then you would have to buy her all kinds of expensive stuff and take her to dinner and invite her home… I think it was the two last things I feared the most. The dinner thing, alias the date… I wouldn't know what to say… I think. And the part where you invite her home… that would just be awkward on so many levels… another thing I won't have to worry about here, I guess.

"That… makes me… so, so happy Ash. I… I am not even sure how to continue…" A hand softly strokes the part of my cheek that isn't covered by the gauze, and I can feel the roughness of the cheek the hand touches. Apparently, I haven't been shaved in the time I have been here. I'm close to have a full beard. I bet I look like the guy from 'Tier one', the rocker-guy with the big beard.

I place my hand on hers, locking my fingers with hers. Something is pressing in my throat, and my eyes are beginning to swell. The liquid is instantly absorbed by the gauze, and just serves to make the already sweat-soaked clothes over my face. For some odd reason I feel as if the left eye is more… cold, than the right, like it's… I don't know…

I can suddenly feel the hand being removed from my cheek. _Oh, the doc has probably-_ I think, before a pair of soft lips is being placed on mine. The bed creaks as Ash leans over it, probably using her hands for support as she positions herself better. Her hot lips are being pressed gently against mine, and after a moment of hesitation, I return the kiss as best I can when lying down as I am. Lifting my arm, I slowly and, a bit clumsily, place my hand on the back of her head, drawing her closer. I can smell her scent even stronger now, inhale her breath from her nostrils, and she opens her mouth slowly, letting our-

"Ahem…" A male voice suddenly says, and Ash almost flies away from me, breaking of the kiss as it was reaching the most exhilarating part. _Godammit…_

"We were… just…" I start saying, not really knowing how to finish the sentence. Emhart cuts me of;

"I don't need to know what you were doing. That is your own business. However, I have retrieved the prosthesis, ready for a test-run." I can hear a small gasp from Ash, as she probably looks at the new… arm, for the first time. _New arm… can I even… I… am not even sure what to… I mean, what is it gonna… gnnnhh… this is all just so… too much._ I can handle being slammed through the dimensions, but… having replaced my limps… being not fully human… I take my hand to my head, massaging my forehead. _This is so messed up… Mara help me! _

"_You do realize… that Mara doesn't… exist?"_

"_Shut it Roku. God isn't real either, but people still build giant temples to him…"_

"_Still… Christianity, Zionism and Islam are world religions… millions follow the teachings… of their God."_

"_And so I can follow others, can't I?"_

"_Even though they… do not… exist?"_

"_Hell, Mara and Talos are from a game. I'm in a "game". Ergo, there is a bigger chance of Mara being real, than God being so._"

"_I do… suppose that makes… sense. Follow who… you want."_

Sometimes, he is just… an uptight… never mind that. I can hear Ash and the doc speaking together;

"So… it will be just like a new arm? No geth-like stuff?" She says.

"Nope. It will simply look like any other arm. Only, don't challenge him to an arm-wrestle in left arms. He would break the opponents arm, if he wanted to."

"You do know that I can hear you, right?" They are talking about my prosthesis, so I just wanna make sure they are not making any weird decisions while I'm under the… whatever they are gonna put me under…

"Yeah, your groaning made that much obvious." Emhart says. The _thud_ of something heavy being put down on a table, makes my skin crawl. That had got to be the arm. I hesitantly touch the stump where my left arm used to be. The stump very smooth to the touch, and the closing where the arm was… taken off. The closing feels like a straight scar, running the entire end of the stump, making like, what I can feel anyway, a small smiley. I know it sounds silly, perhaps even insane, but I can't help but imagine a smiley on my stump. I give a weak chuckle at the thought. Footsteps sound from the bedside, and the faint sound of spinning gears and mechanisms being activated follows, as the upper part of the bed raises, causes me to sit almost upright. The sudden movement causes me to gasp, as my lungs are being forced to open and close due to some kind of electrical bolt, shooting through my body. My entire being is like feather and stone at the same time, heavy and light at the same time. It's really strange. When the movement stops, I breathe in, and exhale with a sigh.

"You okay there Fisher?" He asks, causing me to turn towards the sound of his voice, coming from the left side of the bed. I nod.

"Now, before we start the procedure with the prosthesis, we need to do some tests, and remove the gauze from your face.

"'About time. I am sick of not being able to see shit." I say, with a bit more sneer than was necessary, I suppose. He doesn't sound affected by it though, as he continues.

"Yeah, I figured that would be the case, so I prepared some… stuff, to make sure we can un-gauze your eyes without risking them. _Okay… that sounded… ominous…_

"What do you mean by 'risking them' to be more specific?" Ash says, with a strain in her voice.

"Oh, nothing much. Simply the… repaired left eye. There is a risk of it reacting badly to an increase in the strength of light, so I'm ready with… and this may sound primitive, but an eye patch. Arrrrgggg, right?"

"Doc… are you sure you are not high?" I can't help but ask. He simply seems too carefree and easygoing for someone dealing with death and such on a daily basis.

"Perfectly sure my boy. I have just had a bit much coffee. Have to, to remain alive at these hours."

"Speaking of which, I can't see, so… what time is it?" I ask.

"04:32. we have been at this for little under an hour, and we are currently the only people in this part of the hospital. There is a drell with Keprals Syndrome in the room next to ours, but otherwise we are alone." _Drell with… could it be?... nah…_

"So… should we get on with this?" I say, clearing my mind of the possibility of Thane being next door. Even if he were here, what should I do? Just waltz up and say "hey, I need you in two years to fight a race of bug-like aliens that no one knows exists yet"? Yeah, and then I would be in here for good. Nope, in this case, I'm gonna let canon run its course.

We proceed to do the same tests as before, moving and twisting my arm to make sure that all functions are in order, which they are. I then have to do all these breathing exercises again, being told that they will help me adapt faster to the augmentations my body has received. Then, I'm handed another shock;

"Alright, now we will take a look and see if the new eye has adapted as well. I'm gonna remove the- Fisher, would you please let go of my arm?" I have, purely on instinct, grabbed his arm and I am squeezing as hard as I can, before I realize what I do, and let go of him;

"Thank you. Now, we should have told you this before, yes. But the other doctors didn't see a reason for you to know before it became relevant. Which it, in my opinion, is now."

"How come…" I say as calmly as I can, despite the fact that I could scream; "that I have lost both an eye, and an arm?"

"Well, from the report I read on what happened to you on Feros, including the multiple hallucinations, suicide attempts and the extensive burn and shattering, impalement, and blinding, pretty much your entire left side was destroyed. And I know what I am talking about when I say 'destroyed'."

"Gi- give me the full story… how bad?" I say, gulping down as I think about the long list of different injuries I apparently suffered from. There is a short pause, in which Emhart lets a sigh escape his lips, before he resumes talking;

"Alright, but you were the one who wanted to know. Remember that."

I nod.

"Well, first of all, there are the hallucinations, which were mostly treated by doctor Karin Chakwas, the Normandy's medicinal officer. Several blood vessels had exploded, dealing some damage to the surrounding neural functions, the movement of the right leg and the behavior-inhibitor. This may have led to some… rather rash and brain dead actions, such as complete disregard for your own safety, or the urge to do something incredibly awesome that most people would rather see in a movie than even consider doing real-life. Normally, this is the same effects suffered from ADHD, or DAMP. Autism also shares these traits, and generally, it affects the person's ability to judge the situation."

"I can't say I noticed any trouble with the leg… well, aside from what the bullets in my ass would have done…"

"Yes, I have accounted for those. That amount of slugs in such a small area… what did you do, moon the geth?" He asks, his borderline disturbing sense of humor shining through.

"Almost. But what else?"

"Well, the burns you contracted, when the bombs went off, instantly removed the gauze covering your left arm, actually setting it on fire. The electrical burn marks, as well as the wires that had etched themselves into your flesh, also did a number on your left arm. I hope you didn't have anything important on that Omni-tool, 'cause it's goner than gone. Also, the extreme heat from what I would guess was a chemical fire, melted and burned most of your armor, causing the right side, as it was the one facing most of the heat, to practically melt away, giving you third-degree burns all over your body. Your underclothing was merged with the tungsten and other low-heat metals in the suit, causing it to practically cover you in melted armor. Suffice to say, when we got you, you looked like half burnt sausage, and half plastic. I was frankly amazed you were even breathing, seeing as the materials had hardened again, pretty much forming a shell around your right side." _Wow… I must have looked like Shepard when he/she arrived… well, arrives at Lazarus… _

"Then, there were the impalements. How I do not know, but you had been walking with a shard of steel, the size of my hand, sticking out from your thigh, like someone had left a knife in it. Then, there were the facial reconstruction. My guess, which I am sure must be poor, as it is based solely on the damage caused, is that the heat and the constant struggling somehow managed to crack the visor, and the explosion caused the shards to fly inwards. Your left eye was a mess. You are lucky that it stopped there, not continuing into the brain. Then you would be dead. We had to… well, scoop out the eye, to use that expression. Of course, it was way more delicate than that, but the eye had to go. It was beyond repair, and looked more like something you would find inside the belly of a fish… not pretty."

"That is… extreme…" Ash finally says. I just nod, wanting him to go on. He catches on;

"The shattering of the left side was caused by an abnormal pressure, a series of minor impalements from spike shaped objects, and multiple major fractures, along with major damage to the tissue, and well, a million scars, cracks and bruises. You really looked more like a run over cat, than a human being that could be saved… kinda scary, thinking about how quickly you regenerated… and well, the arm was… well, paste. The already broken bones hadn't had any time to heal properly, so when you suffered the multiple fractures, the force that slammed you into the wall shattered the arm like a kid with Vroliks."

"Mara… so, it was like a piece of meat really?" I ask, feeling a bit of disgust inside, feeling the resemblance to what happened to my "first" body, when the train hit it.

"Yes, so we removed it, and using the money from the P-H-fund, we made a new arm… and a new eye for you. We even matched your eye- and skin color."

"And I already have the new eye, right?" I ask, thinking about the odd sensation I got when looking around behind my eyelids.

"Bingo. We inserted it, right after the repair of the eye socket. We couldn't just plug the new one in, had to prepare for it. Ya know?" If I didn't know better, I would think I was having a conversation with a child here. He just… I mean, his entire attitude, he could be related to Joker, for all I know… Hell, it could be Joker… minus the voice, and the whole "I can actually walk around" thing.

"So, can I try and see? At least with the normal eye?"

"Sure. Frankly, I'm surprised the bloody nurse didn't remove the gauze from your head yesterday. You should be fine to look around… wanna do it now?"

"I… Hell yes I do!" I say, eager to get the bandage of my face, and see the world again.

"Well alright then. I am going to make a log, detailing your adaption to your new body parts. If that is okay with you."I nod;

"Sure… just go ahead, get an Oscar and all that…" I say, joking of course.

"Oscar?" He says, a bit of confusion in his voice.

"Yeah, you know the price for good movies? A golden statuette?" Why doesn't he know?

"Well, I am not sure what an Oscar is, but the price for best movie, is called a Nemo." Wait what?

"Eh… sure… go and… get that… just forget I said anything…" I say, starting to feel the heart beating rapidly again. _Did I just blow my cover?_

"Hmm… must be the inhibitors not having been fully restored yet… should pass in a few days, or be permanent… but do lie still. I am starting the recording." Emhart says, moving around. There is the sound of a screen being turned on, I think, and some electronics powering up. A small beep sounds, and the footsteps return, coming back to me;

"Doctor Gerardo Emhart, September 29th. The time is seven thirty-one in the morning, and I am about to perform the last parts of the surgery on patient Private Thomas Fisher. The patient lost use of left eye and arm during a mission with the Alliance navy onboard the frigate _SSV Normandy_. We removed the eye and arm, and immediately replaced the eye with a synthetic prosthesis. The amputated arm was kept in cryo for the purpose of using stem cells to grow a replacement. The patient chose to receive the synthetic replacement for the arm, and I will now remove the bandages on the head, and let him try out the replacement eye." It's really weird listening to him talking about me like I'm not here. Emhart continues;

"I will then give him the sedative and attach the prosthetic arm. Commencing removal of head-bandaging." He says, walking towards me again. His steps stop right next to me, and I can feel my heart beating faster and faster. Almost as fast as it was beating when I walked the colony on Eden Prime with Ash.

A pair of hands are gently being placed upon my head, starting to pull of the gauze. It takes a while, and he constantly has to stop and place the pulled of cloth on something next to the bed. He could also just be dropping it on the bed, or the floor, but I'm guessing he has a table of some sort placed there. Perhaps along with the new arm. New arm… Mara, that sounds strange… I try moving my left arm again, but of course, nothing but a weak wiggling takes place. It just… it still feels like I have the arm attached. I know that it's gone, but… _Mara… it feels like it's still there… _He is just unraveling my head, removing the gauze for what feels like hours, although it's probably only minutes, or even seconds. In a few moments, I'll get to see Ash again. I just hope she is not gonna freak out when she sees me with TIM-like eyes. Always did find that guy's eyes really creepy.

"Alright, I think this is the last batch." Emhart says, moving his hands over the cloth. I can actually sense his hands through the now thin layer of gauze, and my right eye is following his movements by looking at the silhouettes dancing over my face.

"Everything alright Fisher?" He asks. I grin;

"Yeah Doc, I'm just enjoying a shadow play. It's about two hands learning how to dance." I hear a slight giggle to my right, and I'm guessing that's where Ash is still seated.

"Sounds like you are having fun as well miss Williams." He says.

"Yeah, well… he is just a big child at times, is all." She says, and I can almost hear the flushing redness in her voice.

"Hey, I heard that." I say in mock-anger. I then just sigh, and let a small chuckle out. Suddenly, one of the pieces of cloth obstructing my view is removed, and I can see a wall in front of me. I am seated after all, not lying down on the bed. He removes some more of the gauze, leaving almost my entire face free again. The left eye is still covered up. Standing back a bit, the doc looks at me. I can finally see him, and I gotta say, he looks different than I thought. From the voice, I was guessing he would look like some spoiled brat or some punk. He didn't sound serious at all. But the guy in front of me looks more like… well, he's got a big moustache, like the guy on that American show with bikes, the father. He is red-haired, like Jane, only not as strong in color. His face is covered in an assortment of scars and wrinkles. Like someone who has spent their life in the military, not in a civilian hospital. He even has that long scar going from forehead, across the right eye, and down the cheek. Man looks like he has been wrestling with a warren. Or head butted it, more likely. He has this steel gray color in his eyes, almost like he is blind. He looks at me, noticing the stare I give his eyes. Yes, I stare: it isn't everyday you meet a blind doctor, who is in this much control of what he is doing.

"Nah kid, I'm not blind. 'Was born with eyes this color, and well, it has been a real lady-magnet." He says the last part with a wink of the scarred eye. I hear a grunt from Ash, and turn to look at her. _Mara, I missed that face…_ Ash is sitting in her chair, leaning forward towards me. She places a hand on mine, smiling in her special warm way;

"Hey Chief. Nice seeing you again." I say, not really being able to contain a smile that spreads across my face like the Joker's scars. The smile on her face widens, her eyes almost beaming. I can feel the red flush to my cheeks, and it is just overall an awesome feeling.

"You too. Although I've been seeing you for the past week, and you haven't exactly been playing invisible man, so…"

"I get it. It's like… I've just… and this will sound cheesy, but I've really missed your face, and your smile, and your eyes." She smiles, and gives me a light punch on the arm.

"Too cheesy?" I say.

"Too cheesy." She agrees. I reach for her, and she places her hand in mine. We lock our fingers together, and sit like this for a while. Finally, after what I see as far too little time, Emhart reminds us of his presence with a slight but determined cough. Letting go of her hand, I look back at the doc, who, for a short moment, has a soft look in his eyes, but it quickly disappears again, and is replaced with the same steel-like look in his gaze. I sigh, and look him in the eyes with a smile. Or, I think I smile. I don't know what it comes out as;

"Well Doc, can I have the other eye free as well?"

"Sure. Have your eye adjusted to the light in the room?" I nod, and he gives me a knowing smile.

"Eager to get out of here, are ya?" he says, reaching for the cloth and gauze on my head. I respond with a hum. I am actually more nervous over Ash's and the other reaction to my new eye… and the new arm."

"Now, we'll just remo-" He starts saying, but is cut short by the door being opened, and heavy footsteps trudging in.

Looking in the direction of the door, I see the shape of an 82.1 kilogram buff, bearded, medium-length haired guy, wearing a casual uniform with the Normandy sigma on its right side. His face is decorated with bruises, and his eyes have dark bags under them, giving the young man the look of an older person. The smile on his lips however, betrays the look of seriousness on his face.

"They only told me you had just woken up. But damn if you aren't already being unwrapped." Nicolai says, crossing his arms across his chest with a huge smile on his face. He constantly brushes away strands of dark hair as they fall into his eyes, grinning like a moron. But hell, if he isn't s sight for sore eyes… or whatever the saying is.

"Yeah, you are just in time for the big reveal mate. Turns out I lost both arm and eye, and now they are giving me a new of both." While I'm talking, he catches a glimpse of something on a table next to the bed. Following his gaze, I look upon what looks like a severed human arm, only with several wires and cords going from the end, instead of arteries and blood. My eye simply freezes at the thing, eyeing every small detail. The prosthesis looks like any other arm, complete with skin tone, hairs and even the occasional spotting. I wouldn't say it looks exactly like my old arm, but it's pretty damn close. In the cross section, where the arm ends, I can see the "bone", the muscles and tissue. From the inside, it doesn't look very human at all, but more like Bishop from 'Aliens'. The bone shines with an eerie glint, resembling metal more than human bone. _The doc did say it was graphene or something…_ I look back at Nic, who has managed to tear his eyes from the thing. Looking back at me, he breathes in heavily;

"Damn… I didn't know it was _that_ bad. I mean, I knew you had lost the arm… but the eye as well?" I nod. He goes on;

"Anything _else_ you had replaced?" he gives me a smirk. _Huh?_

"Eh?"

"Anything _important?_" What is he- oh!

"Are you going to check on that, or are you gonna shut about it?" I say, daring him. No matter what, he'll lose.

"Nah, I'm gonna let…" He says, giving Ash a quick look; "someone else, do tha-" He says, almost finishing his last word before a hand is placed over his mouth from behind. His eyes fly open in surprise, as he receives a knuckle on the head. The hand releases him, leaving him to swear and curse while the face of Corporal Teresa "Tequila" Aquila appears from behind him, brandishing her fist. She shoots him an almost evil grin. He looks back and sighs, giving an almost defeated moan, before leaning against the wall, rubbing his head. Tequila turns to look at me;

"Good to see you're still with us Fisher. 'Gave us quite the scare back there." She says, showing the tiniest smile on her lips. She as well as Nic, is brandishing a few new cuts and bruises. Just a few less scars on her face than his. She has a piece of cotton over her left cheek, held on with what almost looks like tape. Other than that, she looks no worse for wear than Ash or Nic.

"Sorry about that Corporal. I'll try to be more careful next time." I say, giving her a grin. She doesn't return it, though her lip does curve into a little bigger smile. I take that as a good thing.

"Yeah you better. Made tough guy here" She gestures at Nic who suddenly turns his face towards her; "have a real fit. Seems like there is something soft under all those muscles after all… let's hope there is something up there" She taps his head; "as well… or, let's hope there will be some as well." Nic brushes her hand away;

"Stop that. Who are you, my mother?" He almost sneers, but sounding more annoyed than angry. She just shrugs, giving a small chuckle. He turns back to me, while Emhart has resumed unwrapping me. Now, I can feel that all but a small portion of my face is free, and that rather long, sweaty hair is now falling down my face. Ash removes it;

"You know Thomas, you almost have as long hair as me." She says, brushing the strands away from my eyes.

"Thanks, and I do intend to get it cut. Frankly, I prefer my hair to be short. Never understood the people who wanted it long… the boys, I mean." I add the last part with haste as I see her raise a brow.

"Alright Fisher, moment of truth. Would you prefer that your friends waited outside while we do this, or do you want to look them in the eyes and say "Hey look at the new me"? I can understand either way, but it's your choice." Emhart says. I look back at Ash, Nic and Tequila, and shrug;

"Nah, I would actually like if they stayed here."_Because_ _I'm less nervous that way…_

"Well alright then. Time for the big reveal, and to see if I wasted my time on the Academy." He says, continuing unwrapping the gauze, lifting of the final pieces.

I still have the left eye closed, to prevent any… well, to prevent something, I guess. I am not really sure what. Might just be my imagination, or the fear that I'll have TIM's eye when I open it. After some time, the final piece of gauze is removed, and I can feel a slight breeze from an open window touch and caress my now unobstructed face. Looking around with my right eye, I can see the anxiousness on the faces of those around me. _Well… Showtime…_

As I feel on the still closed eyelid on my left eye, it strikes me just how normal it feels. There is no buzzing of nano-machines, no cold feeling of steel. Just feels like a normal eye. I breathe in, holding my breath, before I finally exhale and open the eye. There is a slight movement in the group, as if seeing something they were not expecting. _Fuck! I bet I look just like Zaed!_

For a long moment, no one speaks.

I look at Emhart, who is scratching his neck, looking like a schoolchild who forgot his homework. He sneaks a peek at my new eye, where after he actually averts my gaze. I feel my body starting to boil over with a combination of panic and also a fair amount of anger. _He fucked up! He fucked up my eye!_

"Emhaaaart…" I almost sneer; "Give. me. a. mirror." This seems to snap him out of his trance, or whatever he was in, and he scurries to the table to retrieve a small handheld mirror. As he hands it to me, he quickly steps out of reach, apparently in case I should try to hit him with it. I give the others a look, and see that they are still somewhat tense, though the look of horror I was fearing has not taken place in their eyes. _That's something at least…_

Looking in the mirror, I notice something is different about the left eye. No, it is not because it isn't there, it is. The difference is, that while my right eye has a normal blue iris, the left is now sporting an almost shining green color in the iris, as well as an almost yellow center. Besides that, it looks fairly normal. Of course, those things do count for a lot when you look yourself in the mirror and see two… well, actually three different eye colors. There are, around the eye, lots of small scars and places where it looks like shards have been taken out. The skin color is the same, thank Mara, but it bears a scar going from just above the eye, to just below it. I have received a… what is it called… the kind of scar that goes from above the eye to below? As much as I dislike facial scarring, I have to admit… it looks pretty badass.

I look back at the group, tossing the mirror in Emhart's direction. He catches it, and I don't have to answer for having smashed a mirror. I sigh, and put on a smile. Or, I try to. I'm sure what comes out, as the group only seems to slightly relax;

"Hey come on. I'm still me. I've just been scarred and… what's it even called, to have your eye color changed?"

"'Ey don't get me wrong mate, it looks incredibly badass and all… but it's more the changed color that freaks me out a bit." Nic says.

"Still, it could have been much worse." Ash says, smiling at me. I smile back, knowing that she at least isn't horrified by the new appearance.

"Does it work? I mean, is there a difference from the old… eye?" Tequila asks, curiosity winning over her initial shock. I close the right eye, looking around with the left one only. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it, as I can perfectly well see with it.

"Seems like it. At least, so far I don't see anything wrong with it." I look at the doc, who I breathing an obvious breath of relief;

"So… is there some reason I have new eye color?" I ask him. Not that I would bother having a new surgery done: we simply don't have the time. The doctor looks at me again, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead;

"I… am not really sure. By all means it should have been blue, just like the original one… We did nothing different from normal procedures… I… don't understand… the weirdest part is, that it was blue when we inserted it. Your guess is as good as mine"

Well that was helpful… I sigh, and shrug;

"Don't kill yourself over it. At least I'm not blind…" This seems to lighten him up a bit, but causes some hearable gulps from the group.

"Alright Doc. Judging from the tests we did… well, the last time I was awake, I should have pretty much full functionality, right?" He seems a bit surprised at the question, but quickly gets a hold on himself again;

"Yes, but we still have to sedate you, attach the arm and run some tests with it." I look at the group, in which Ash's eyes never leave the arm.

"Just get it over with." I say. And Emhart returns to the screen, pushing some kind of holographic button, and a small green light replaces the red that was in its place before.;

"Doctor Gerardo Emhart, September 29th, 10:12 in the morning. I will now, having unwrapped the patient's head and confirmed that functions are normal, continue to the sedation. The dose will be 1.22mg of Azaperone." Emhart picks up a… needle.

_Fuck…_

"I will now inject the patient with the sedative. The time is 10:13 in the morning." Emhart says before moving to my bed. I can feel the sweat rolling down my face, soaking my body.

I. hate. needles.

He closes in, finger on the trigger and ready to shoot me in the arm. Or wherever he is going to shoot me. _come on! come on Thomas! It's just a needle!_

However, my body, or me, will not agree to my brains conviction. It is a needle. I know it sounds silly as shit, but I just don't work with needles. I don't!

"Now, hold still. It will be over in a minute." Emhart says, apparently sensing my… well fuck, my fear.

"Eh, couldn't we, you know… give me something to drink instead? Or perhaps one of those binds with drugs in them? Or how about knocking me out?" I say, my voice is starting to lose it, mumbling and being incoherent. _This is not happening! Not happening!_

As if in slow-motion, the needle inches closer, nearing me each second. I can feel a bead of sweat hitting my eye, blinking it away. _Man the fuck up Thomas! Ash is looking, and Nic would never let you live this one out!_

As the needle comes within an inch of my skin, some kind of reflex causes me to tear the arm away from Emhart, letting him stab thin air. He looks surprised, but then gives me a slightly humored look;

"Afraid of needles, are we?" He says, a slight chuckle in his voice.

"Afraid of bullets?" I growl back, making him stop smiling. I feel as the blood rises to my cheeks;

"Sorry" I say; "I… I didn't mean that… just came out…" Emhart sighs, looking at the group of now highly interested individuals. I follow his gaze, and see them all looking at me with wonder in their eyes… well, except for Nic. He always knew of, and teased me with, my fear of needles. Tequila and Ash, however, looks like they did when I spilled the beans… well, minus the horror of course. Emhart sighs;

"Will one of you… hold his hand?" He makes it sound like he is about to sedate a child. I'm no child! _I survived Eden Prime! I killed geth on Therum! I killed Xenos on Therum! I killed Warren on Feros and I smacked zombies and blew up the Thorian! I'm no fucking child!_

"_Then… stop acting like one, and take… the needle." _Roku says. Figures, he finally comes back, and he sides with the doctor;

"Fine, I'll do it." Ash says, walking to the bed and grasping my hand. It does calm me down, I admit that much. I just hope this doesn't mean she will think me a coward… and where the hell is Jane? _Oh right, drinking her senses to hell… _

"Now, we'll take it again. Hold still and relax." Emhart says, refilling he needle. He then moves it to my arm, which makes the same movement again. This time though, Ash is holding it steady, making sure the doc can hit the right spot. So to speak…

The needle touches my skin, and I feel like I'm about to burst. This will hurt like-

"And that's it." Wait, what?

I look at Emhart, retracting a now empty needle. I can feel my entire arm buzzing, as if he used that strange stuff again. I have no idea what that azeprone, or whatever he called it, actually is, but it sounds almost latin… which probably means that it is something smart… Hell i don't know. I'm a tech-student, not a medicinal adept…

"So… what now?" I ask, as Ash keeps a hold of my hand.

"Now" Emhart says, putting the needle away; "Now we wait."

It's not beacause he has to wait long, as I*m already feeling a bit drowsy. It feels really weird, knowing you are sleepy because he stappe you, but there it is…

"I think it is… working…" I say, almost yawning. As he responds, I can only see his mouth moving. Sound no longer reaches me. _must be a sideeffect…_

Then, the familiar blackness swallows me and I drift off.


	17. Lost heart

**A/N: Alright people. I have been thinking on how to best portray this mystical Icelandic man, who seems to know Jane. Is it our Jane, or a comletely different? Does he have an actual impact on our story? Will he ever meet up with the team? Perhaps some of these questions will be ansered sooner, rather than later... as for now, I have settled on generally giving him shorter chapters, as to maintain a sort of regular updat on him, yet not wasting all his potential in one or two chapters, leaving him in the dark till we, if we, meet him again. So, settle with shorter chapters or perhaps even just sections in chapters with this guy, as it's really the best I can do. For now though, I actually managed to write a 9.000 word chapter with him and Tara ONLY. **

**And, a small sidenote, thought it deserved some... spotlight, if that's what you call it: My story, has now exceeded... exceded... that word, 10.000 views!**

**(Actually, it's 11.000, but 10.000 just looks better :) )**

**Alright, I've bickered for long enough. Enjoy the chapter, and, as our character would say, "Odin guide you." (His words, not mine) **

* * *

Illium

Nine days earlier. September 20th. 2183.

"_Don't worry Thomas. It's not because you can be _that_ bad." A woman says, as she leans over the man, naked besides her underwear. The scene is something familiar, but still it evades his memory. The man groans on the bed, pulling the dark-haired woman down on top of him, embracing her with a soft kiss. He as well, is wearing nothing but his underwear. His medium-length, dark hair obscures his face, making it impossible to see._

_The scene shifts, changing the two figures, replacing them with a redhead, and a man with dark blond hair. They are sitting on a sofa, embraced in a passionate kiss. Both of them are seen from the back, not showing the faces. The man on the couch is starting to pull of the woman's shirt, while she is pulling of his. The movements grow wilder and faster, and the scene becomes more and more familiar, springing into memory as the night he spent with Jane two days before the incident._

"_Jane…" the man moans, as he places his forehead on her chest. She throws her head back, a large smile evident on it._

"_Don't… don't stop!" She moans, pressing her hand on the back of his head, forcing it t go even deeper._

_Suddenly, a ray of light, the color of a sick yellow, starts shining from everywhere and nowhere at once, enveloping the two. The two lovers continue, despite the light. Slowly, the light starts concentrating on Jane, focusing all the rays of light on her body, causing it to glow. Slowly, ever so slowly, she starts dissolving, evaporating before his very eyes. Powerless, his own form simply continued caressing the now halfway gone woman, his head between her now non-existent breasts. Feeling his own grief well up as he could only watch, he attempted to scream, only for his words to come out as a whisper;_

"_Jane…"_

"Jane!"

Magnus awoke with a gasp, almost screaming, as the skies opened up outside. The loud thunder on Illium was nothing compared to the storms Earth could experience, but it still packed a punch. Listening to the rain drum on the roof of the building, making him realize that the room was not just in some squared-away place in the city, it must have been all the way up top. Perhaps in one of the towers, he was not sure. The sweat rolled of him like an avalanche, soaking the neck on his clothes, along with most of the upper body.

_By Odin, what was that?! A nightmare? What kind of nightmare would let you see people you don't even know? What was that light?_ Questions were racing through his head as he tried sitting up in the bed, if you could call it that.

In a hammock above him, Tara woke with a jolt as she heard his shouting, fearing that the gang from those days ago had finally found her, and wanted to finish the job. Seeing that the source of the shouting came from the obviously shaken human, she leaned out from the hammock to get a better look;

"Ola- Magnus… are you okay?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. Over the last five days, this human had proven to be a better friend than most she had had so far. Magnus was strong, almost like one of the human builders of bodies, whatever that actually meant, and at the same time as being prone to violence, he was a caring sort, not tolerating injustice when he had a saying in the matter. Of course, she had based the last part on the only two occasions she had taken him out of the shack so far. One, was when she wanted to go and buy some equipment for the one surprise she had in store for him, the _Ashantí_, and the shop owner, seeing the human coming into his store with a Quarian, had thought that Tara was his slave, and ancestors, she despised that word. It insulted her very being, her freedom, to be called a slave. Magnus had been the same calm as the evening with the turians, asking the Asari behind the desk to elaborate on her choice of word, and was asked whether he wanted her to simply call his slave 'suit-rat' or 'Quarian'. He had calmly, while Tara herself was fuming, asked the Asari to explain why she thought Tara was his slave. The Asari had answered that she must be, as no race with self-respect would spend time with 'one of those' as she had said, pointing at Tara, if not because the Quarian was to carry his wares. Magnus had then calmly, though with a twitch in his eye, explained that if the Asari didn't stop speaking about Tara like that, he would be forced to do something illegal. The Asari had snorted at him, calling him a 'rat-lover', where after he calmly had walked over to Tara, asked her how much she had intended to buy, asked for twenty credits extra, and when he had bought the needed supplies, he asked the Asari if she had something hard, yet breakable to the price of twenty credits. When the Asari produced a cheap glass vase, he paid for it, where after he promptly smashed her head with it, knocking her out cold. Then, he had simply walked out of the store, carrying Tara's things for her.

The second time was when they had been looking at the 'Vista', the view over Nos Astra's skyline, and a rather insolent Volus had complained about how the Quarian took up place from the 'better races'. About four seconds later, the same Volus had found himself dangling over the ledge, forced to apology to Tara, lest the insane human should accidentally drop him. Both times, Tara had watched him with a mix of horror and admiration. Horror, as she could in no way justify the way he reacted to the insults, which she would simply ignore, and admiration for the way he stood up for her, and perhaps himself as well, taking, what he called 'shit' from no one.

"Huh?" He asked, not really listening over the fast breathing that caused the entire room to echo with the strange noises. Granted, the sound of strained breathing was only strange to her, as the sound of Quarians breathing was emitted through their voice-emitters, meaning that the sound would come out as synthetic.

"Are you okay?" She repeated. He looked up at her, probably noticing that she was only wearing her basic thin-suit, the one that fitted closest to the body, allowing for the venting of bodily gasses, increased skin-absorption of filtrated air and the comfort that simply came with not sleeping dressed in all ones everyday clothes. His gaze, although probably too distorted from the sudden awakening and shock, made her flush as she realized that her current clothing must have been the same as human women sleeping with very little clothes on their bodies. How she would like to one day try that;

"Yeah… yeah I'm… it was just…" He said, starting to mumble.

"Bad dream?" She said, finishing his sentence for him. He nodded, before he fell back down on the mattress, sighing. The heavy rain was still thundering on the metallic roof, reminding her of the beat of the human drums. The instrument that originally would be covered in the skin of an animal, had later been used by all sorts of human musical groups, "bands" as he had called them. The concept had amused her, being told about how thousands of humans would gather to listen to some people playing music. Music, which these people could just hear on a radio, or the downloaded extranet-music on their speakers. At this, the man had simply shrugged and said something about how humans liked being at that kind of gatherings.

"What happened in it?"

"It was… it is hard to explain… and I doubt I could…" He said, hesitation and doubt filling his voice. Along with something else… fear? She hadn't seen him show fear at any point in the days they had known each other… and he had been assaulted by turians, scarred for life, and even lost a finger. Still, he seemed to function just fine, and Tara hadn't been able to see any signs of PTSD. It almost seemed like he was accustomed to danger, to the risk of dying every second of his day, and night. He even slept with an improvised knife under his bed, being paranoid about being attacked every second. But now, he seemed like someone who had seen a ghost, trembling and actually showing signs of being visibly scared;

"Try me." She said, determination in her voice. If he had problems, the least thing she could do was to attempt to help him. Even though she probably couldn't.

There was a long pause, where Magnus didn't speak. Looking at him, she could see his brows were furrowed, and his lips pursed. _He is considering telling me… but why the sad face?_ She thought, as she looked upon the young human. Finally, Magnus sighed and looked at her, a hard gaze in his eyes, but also a sad one.

"It was about… well, you remember I told you that I used to be in the Alliance?" She nodded, remembering his talk about being a sergeant in the Alliance Navy.

"Mmm…" she said, leaning on one elbow. Her two silver orbs shone through the opal visor, focusing on his face, running them over his weathered face. He was still somewhat attractive, despite the large scar that now decorated his face, making him look like someone with a constant half-smile on his face. it all just added to the rough look. _Wait what? Why am I thinking that? n-no, just concentrate… I wonder if he is single... No, stop thinking like that you stupid girl! You have only known him for five days, three of which he was actually conscious!_

"Well… I was actually not just in the navy… I was part of the N7-program but-"

"You are an N7?!" Tara almost shouted. The N7's were the best soldiers humanity had to offer, and here she was, in the same room as one. She was about to continue when she saw he held up a hand, to stop her from talking, so that he could continue his talking;

"As I was saying, I was part of the program, but I never qualified above N6. I… failed, when it came to lead people on big deep-cover missions… got some of my team injured, one was even killed… I was lucky, I guess, that they di not strip me of the entire N-rank, and sent me back to boot camp." He said, sighing heavily. Tara cocked her head;

"Was that what the nightmare was about? The mission?" she asked, placing her head in her hands, making the hammock swing slightly. She was surprised to see him shake his head, causing the hair to fall over his eyes. Brushing it away, he continued;

"Not really, though it has been haunting me ever since. But the reason I mentioned the program, was that after having spent my life alone, I joined the marines as soon as I had the chance. When they made me a sergeant, I received a commendation for the N7-program." Tara was not sure what to think of this. She had a vague idea of what the human ranks were in their military, and sergeant was not that high above the lowest ranks. How did he get the recommendation for that program, when he was just a sergeant?

"How did you get that commendation? What did you do?" She asked, no longer able to contain her curiosity, despite the fact that she was interrupting Magnus;

"Hmm… what did I do? I am not sure I _did_ any one thing… rather, it was perhaps my overall performance that made me an option. I excelled through every single course they put me on, scored between 98-100 on all targets, except for with the support-role light machineguns. Never had a thing for those. But I reckon that it was my skills with the long-range weapons, such as the Mantis, that made them notice me. When I, as corporal, led a squad of about seven men, to capture a bunch of Batarian pirates, busy regrouping after a failed attack on Ferris Fields, I provided cover for my squad with such precision, that I spent twenty one rounds, on twenty one targets. Well, I didn't kill them all. Command wanted someone to interrogate, so I tried taking them down alive. Problem just was, I was two kilometers away from them, so when I tried taking one in his leg, I ended up blowing it off. Wasn't a pretty sight. But, I managed to nail one in his foot, eventually, and he lived long enough to be brought to interrogation. I was given a promotion for the mission. Not for my leader skills, but for my marksmanship. We didn't lose a single man, didn't even have a single injury on my side, as I took down every single enemy that loosened a single round at my men."

"That sounds… extreme…" Tara wasn't quite sure if she could believe all this. Although she never suspected him of lying to her, he simply didn't seem the type, she had a hard time imagining a single sniper taking down so many enemies with one bullet each. It just seemed impossible, too perfect to be true, that one man could do such a thing. Still, she motioned for him to continue, now completely enraptured in his tale;

"Hmm… yeah, I guess it was. I didn't really think that much about it back then though, just wanted to get my men out of there. If you want the completely honest story, then perhaps the promotion that could be attained from that feat did help me focus." He said, releasing a small chuckle, one she was not sure on how to respond, so she just kept watching him, letting her eyes wander over the thin shirt he wore when asleep, making out the strong abs on his body. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment._ Will you stop that? stupid eyes! _

"But, I'm going astray, I guess. Sorry, I just kind of got caught up in the "good ol' times" as they call them. Anyway, when I entered the academy, where the program was held. A place just known as 'the villa' in a country named Brazil, a city called Rio de Jenairo, I just knew that I was in for a world of pain. The drill instructor made that perfectly clear to us all. I can't remember his name, but when he started barking at us, I swear; that was a voice you would never forget. Have you ever seen an American human war movie?" The sudden question caught her off guard, but she hesitantly nodded;

"Yeah… I once saw a movie, a really old one. I can't remember the title, but the first scenes were lots of humans running on a beach, where other humans would then mow them down with really old-fashioned machineguns." For some reason, the humans in that movie were killed in one shot, not being shielded by hardsuits or shield emitters. She guessed that the battle the movie had started with, had to be from a long time ago, before the humans even had civilized technology or computers. Whoever had come up with that idea, to have actors run over a beach to be shot, had a sick mind. There was no way humans could be like that to each other. It was just barbaric.

"Were the ones shooting the men on the beach, in some kind of stone-bunkers? Like up on a hill?" Magnus asked. It made her wonder if he had seen the same movie as well, or if he was just guessing.

"Y-yes. And the hero in that scene had a small mirror that he used to see the bad guys with, without being shot."

"A mirror? Hmm… Ach, I know which movie you saw. It was probably 'Saving Private Ryan'. Did the movie end with the hero dying in front of this large ground vehicle? Did it have like a large gun in front?" He was asking more exited now, and Tara couldn't help but wonder if perhaps someone from his family had a role in the movie, or if he simply had a thing for movies with meaningless destruction;

"Yes, it did. The man died while shooting a tank." The word 'tank' seemed to fluster him a bit. She didn't know why, but she wanted to know why he found the movie so interesting;

"So… why is that movie so interesting to you? Did someone you know come up with the idea for it?" for some reason, her question seemed to make him confused, but also smile.

"Well, that would require that I knew Patton or Eisenhower. So, that would be a no." _Ah, those must be the instructors…_

"They were good instructors. Although the movie was a little brutal…"

"Well, they weren't instructors, and the movie had to be close to reality, else no one would watch it." This puzzled her. What real thing? It hadn't actually happened in real life, had it?

"What do you mean 'The real thing'?" She asked curiously.

"Well, World War two of course." A world war? Had the humans had a conflict like her people had with the geth? But the bad people in the movie were humans as well… could the enemy disguise themselves as humans? That would be a hard blow to morale.

"What was 'World War two'? And did that mean there was 'one'?" She asked. Her question made him stop smiling, and he grew more serious in his expression;

"Wait, Tara… what… did you think the movie was? Fiction?" As a reflex, her hands and fingers started rubbing each other, intertwining and flexing.

"Well… yes?" she almost whispered, afraid that she might just have insulted his ancestors or their memory. This caused his face to crack in a smile. A smile that was only made even more weird by that fact that the left side was already split in one. Before she knew it, he was chuckling. Actually, he was almost laughing. She could feel the color rush to her face, as she realized she had said something very silly, and perhaps even stupid.

"Sorry…" she managed to mutter. Magnus calmed down, and looked at her, still with a smile on his face;

"Sorry? Sorry for what? It's not your fault that you don't know human history. I only know what I do about your people because of Tal- because of a quarian I once worked with. Look at this as your chance to learn about humans, as your fleet-sister taught me about Quarians." He did have a point. She hadn't really had a chance to learn from humans as she did now, as most humans had treated her like a second-class citizen.

"So… what did happen in that war?" She said, hoping that it wouldn't be too much to answer. Her own people's war with the geth had been a black-and-white kind of war, but she knew that the Turians had had a much more conflicted and bloody civil war at some point.

"Well, long story short, the bad guys in the movie were called Germans, ruled by the Nazis. The good guys in the movie were called the Allies, kind of like the current 'Alliance'. That movie you saw was about the Allies liberating the continent of Europe from the Germans. The first scene was a beach called Omaha beach, where over 3.000 men were killed, trying to storm the beaches of Normandy."

"Why didn't they simply bombard the Gemans… Germans, from orbit?"

"Tara, all this happened more than two-hundred years ago, in 1939 to 1945. More than fifty million people died, and in the end, the world wasn't much better off in 45, than it was in 39… though the Nazis were gone…"

"Oh… how did we go from talking about your dream, to discussing ancient human warfare?" she asked. Magnus looked at her for a second, then shrugged;

"I honestly have no idea." After this, there was a small pause, after which he cracked a smile, and the continued to laughing. She didn't know how to react to this, so she simply closed her eye, smiled and thought; _humans can really be strange…_

"I remember. You asked me if I knew the kind of barking that a human military leader does when speaking to his men. And then we started going into movies." She said, glad that she hadn't cracked as well. She hated her laughter. To her, it sounded more like screaming geth, than actual organic laughter. He didn't comment on it the last time she laughed, but surely, he must think the same.

"Yeah well, when we all got in line, and he stared barking at us, I noticed this redhead, a woman with red hair, was standing right in front of me. I didn't think much of her, until she suddenly shouted that the man up on the podium should shut up and start the training. He then challenged her to come up there, and I thought for sure that she would be thrown straight out of the program. Instead, she turned to face me, and asked me to wish her luck, in case she would have to do something crazy as punishment for speaking out without permission. When I saw her face, I… I simply forgot to even listen to what she said. I… and don't you come with some cheeky comment, or snide remark now, but I was simply… enchanted. She had these… ungodly green eyes, as if they were radiating with green, and this extremely cute nose. And her hair… the way it fell in single strands over her face, covering one of her eyes like a small curtain… it was like looking at Freya incarnate, just with red hair…" for some reason, his talk, the descriptions of this woman, made her heart sink. Not fully aware of it, she released a small sigh.

"Something wrong?" the question brought her back in an instant. Feeling her heart beat even faster than when she had been threatened by the Volus and his Turians, she put a hand to her chest, as if to force the heart to calm down;

"She sounds… beautiful. What happened to her?" the question made him wander back into memories, almost like he forgot Tara was lying in the hammock above him;

"She went to the podium, and the instructor said that since she was so eager to get on with the training, he said if she wanted to prove her skill right then and there, besting him in a match. I was like 'Shit! She is done for!', but she just said yes, and before I could count to ten, the guy was on the ground, she with a foot planted on his chest. I think everyone in the room was completely speechless. No one had expected her, a raw recruit, to beat the hardened instructor, and certainly not that fast! Then, he said a few words, about her being the kind of person we should all aspire to be, hard, efficient, fast and nimble… and she went down again, standing in front of me in the row. There were murmurs here and there, some congratulations, even some who dared her to come at them later… but I couldn't say anything else than 'What's your name?'. I know it was a stupid as hell question, and I expected her to give me something about how the instructor had just yelled it out loud over the room… but she simply turned and gave me a smile, even answering my question." He seemed hesitant to go any further, so Tara, bursting with curiosity as she was, asked;

"So, what was it?" He actually seemed to smile at the question, although there was also something sad in his eyes;

"Jane… her name was Jane…" He said, now with evident sadness in his eyes and voice both. _So they are no longer a couple then?_ Tara found herself thinking, immediately ashamed over the strange content this brought her. _Even so, you hardly know him! Sure, he seems like a good guy, and sure he hasn't missed an opportunity to help, but no one is that generous. He must be hiding something girl. Find out what it is._ Her inner voice argued with her. _Right… and he is an entirely different race after all… no hope there… damn it… why am I thinking like this? Fuck the hormones. They are not what I need right now!_ She was getting increasingly worked up, actually managing to piss herself off. Not something she had intended to. She would continue though, find out more about the woman who obviously had Magnus's heart;

"So… then what happened?" She asked, determined to keep the stream of information flowing.

"Well, the men next to us laughed their asses of later that day, when the inspection was over. I retaliated in the sparring matches though, as I kicked their butts. Sure, I got some scraps, was even sent to the floor at one time, but I fucked them all… I mean, I bested them all."

"And despite that, you were still beat up by a gang of low-life turians?" she asked, instantly regretting it as it may look like she was doubting his story. He smiled though;

"Yeah, the next time I'm going in a fight, I'll make sure not to empty a whole bottle of shard wine first. 'Stuff can really make you lose your focus." He said, almost ending the speech with a chuckle. _Humans…_

"So, to return to the story?"

"Riiight… well, as I said, I beat the crap out of them all… well, all but two. One was an Asian dude, black hair, dark humor, bad mood and a xenophobe if ever there was one. Think his name was Kai something… anyway, real ace with knifes, glad I never pissed him off. The second person who handed me my ass, if you'll excuse the expression, was of course Jane. I'm still not sure if she, at that time had any real interest in me, or if she simply found me interesting in… well, the other way, if you… understand." Not sure if he expected her to respond, she jus nodded, only seconds later finding out what he had actually meant, and felt her cheeks flush again. _Dammit, I have to regulate that somehow…_

"But, as I was saying: I met her in the sparring match, and all the other people I had crapped up, they all put their money on her, seeing as she knocked the instructor on his ass… hell, to be honest I even betted on her. Just never told her. She might have been pissed over it, I don't know. But anyway, we marched towards each other on the mat, bowing as we have been taught, before the match began. I would like to say that we were evenly matched, but I could instantly tell that she was holding back, wanting to drag the fight for as long as possible. Hell, I enjoyed it. seeing her move, the grace, the agility… the strength behind the move that sent me flying through the air before colliding with the spectators… it was like wrestling a valkyrie, knowing that I couldn't win, but still wasn't allowed to back down. Or, I_ was _allowed to back down, I simply didn't want to, ya know? I got back up, engaged her again, circling around her, grapping at her, kicking at her feet. Even got her on the mat myself one time… and that was the only time. The rest of the match, she no longer held back, constantly pushing and pressing me, forcing me on a constant defensive. The worst part though, was that she was calm enough to keep giving me advice _while _fighting. I wasn't even sure if she was human, the way she fought. After what I later found out was only ten minutes, though it felt like hours, she finally sent me on the ground, then simply sat on my chest, preventing me from getting up. I was about to… I don't really know, when I saw the devilish look on her face, like a cat, eying its prey. I am not really sure what I had expected, but what I certainly did not expect, was for her to, later in the evening, simply drag me from the data-rooms, all the way to her room. What happened then… let's just say there was more than one way she was- oh, ehm… you probably don't wanna hear about that night…" He said, scratching his neck with the wounded hand, leaning on the intact one. He was right, though not for the reasons he might have thought. Sighing, Tara cursed herself for being so annoyed over hearing about his girlfriend… or if the humans had some other kind of relationships not occurring among her people. She motioned for him to continue;

"Right… well, that night was… I mean, the next day, I didn't really believe that had actually happened. Well, until she stepped out of the showers… crap, I mean… eh… well, taking a small leap forward, about six or seven months, we both advanced to N4, starting the course in combat diving, escaping from submarines and such, flying jetpacks, firefights and CQ in zero G, among other things. We even had a little… party, when we left the villa in Rio. The good instructor threw us all on one last night recon, with no food, little water and no equipment save for a small shovel and a knife. That, and the paint-guns. He had arranged assort of glorified "take the flag" game, where we would team up, like in real combat. Then each team would have to try and take the opposing teams flag. Problem just was, the flags were two miles from each other, on opposing sides of a nice little strip of rainforest. Wasn't the worst kind of bush, just the usual mud, mosquitoes, snakes, deadly spiders and even the occasional booby-trap, courtesy of our instructor. Jane and I were on the same team, having to learn how to work together. We were sent on a recon, trying to find out where the other bastards were… it was hard, concentrating on the job with her in front of me… guess that's also why we had to train it: for me not to get lost in it when the real battles came."

"Sounds like you had fun…" Tara remarked dryly, finding it hard to imagine that kind of hell as being fun. Not to mention having to imagining him being around some attractive human woman, one she herself would never be able to best. _Why am I thinking this? For Keelah's sake, it's not as if… oh dear… no! I am not interested in him. Not in that way!_

"Sure did. We ended up ambushing some guys from the enemy team. Turns out, they had gotten the same idea. We were just lucky that we found them first, filled them with paint. When the buggers had walked home, and I still have no idea how this happened, I suddenly found myself smashed against a three, not being able to breathe for Jane's mouth pressed against mine… when we finally returned to base… we eh… had both worked up quite a sweat. And don't worry, I won't go into details. Anyway, when the game was over… after about four days in what most would call a living hell, we were sent on our way, me her and five others, including Kai, the Asian, to Acturus station, then we were given one day of shore leave, which I spent by dragging Jane to the nearest cantina, as there were no restaurants on the bloody station, and bought her dinner… even though it was nothing more than panned potatoes, fried chicken and beer. Hell, it was fun, and we enjoyed each other's company. At least I know I enjoyed hers. The next day, we started the jetpack training, and let me tell you, most kickass thing I've ever done. We were each outfitted with the rockets, then assigned to objectives. I remember I had to work in tandem with some Russian guy, Alexi-something. We were to bypass different types of defense and hardwire systems, all the while avoiding cameras, guards and such. Of course, he turned out to be a tech-geek, beyond the definition of the word. He would just slice through all the security, evade and manipulate every camera… simply leave me in the dust. Though, when it came to eliminating targets from the air, I was better than him. He had to be perfectly still in the air to hit something, or come at it in a straight line… me? I was bobbing and weaving. Though I did have to be still when sniping from the air, a practice I never got the hang of. But give me an assault-rifle in the air, and I'll nail 'em all. Or I would… haven't been training for the past two months. Jane was… it was like she was born wearing a jetpack. Like she… like it was an organic part of her. Just another thing that made her perfect… I mean the perfect candidate for the N7." Magnus seemed to be getting a bit nervous, looking around with fast movements of his eyes. _I can feel that he isn't lying to me… but he __**is**__ hiding something… and I doubt he'll tell me anytime soon… what would Nila have said about all this? Probably something like "Hey sis, you like that guy, but he isn't into you." Yeah, I wouldn't ask her._

"When we then came to the combat diving… that was probably one of the scariest things I've ever done. Having to escape a sub the same way as they did almost two-hundred years ago, you would think they had made some improvements to the system. Having to wait for a small cramped chamber to be filled with water, only having the air in that small room, then swim to the surface wearing full armored wet-suit. Not a pleasant thing. Several people lost it then and there, started hyperventilating, even crying. Me… I…" he hesitated, probably not wanting to tell her, but by the ancestors, he started the whole anecdote, so she would see him through it;

"You what?"

"Hmm… there is an illness, don't know if it's humans only, called Epilepsy. It is, I think, caused by some fault in the brain, around the stem… I don't know. It causes uncontrolled seizures and in some severe cases, it can cause heavy damage to the brain. I just had a mild case. 'Had some nasty fits though, but Jane actually didn't dump me for it. Figured she would only want the super soldier, but she stayed with me. Man, was I relieved… and happy. When the medication kicked in, I went back at it, kicked the drill in the balls, and pulled it off. 'Was still scary as hell though, but I made it. The next few months, we trained in zero G, practicing grenade throwing on low-gravy moons, leaping through the air and firing full-auto while floating… even sparring in low G. Let me tell you Tara, being thrown around by a biotic in zero G can get you far… literally. Jane once used her biotics when we sparred, seeing as I was actually getting the better of her. Biotics were actually allowed as long as the users kept it to push and pull. Warping people was considered unhealthy. And bad for your grades… well anyway, we spent the next seven or eight months on these things, diving, fighting, hacking and shooting. Way too little time on the jetpack though, as it was simply awesome. But, eventually, there came the point where we should separate the men from the women, so to speak. Meaning that we had to see who had the material to make N7. The opportunity came up after a few days, when terrorists took control of a nuclear launch-site, on a moon orbiting Jupiter in the Sol-system. The missile was to be aimed at a civilian station on one of the moons of Saturn. About… what, 4-5000 people lived there, and we had to get back the control before the nukes could be launched. That meant retaking the facility with only eleven men. All of us were N6, and Jane led the other team on a covert mission to take out their comm. and power. Since all but seven personnel was confirmed KIA, we could afford to lose the lighting to the place. We entered with night-vision, using stealth and acting as ghosts in the dark, slitting throats and using suppressed weaponry. Even catching the people before they hit the ground, avoiding the noise thát would make. I led the team, using a silenced Avenger and my carnifex. Everything was going fine, till the point where we were to breach the room with the nukes. Then suddenly, hostiles were pouring out from all the doors around us, forcing us into cover. We were better than them, but they were… just so… damn many. Kill one, and two replace him. Fucking Terra Firma… I saw my second in command, a guy named Robert, take a bullet in the eye, and still keep fighting. When we finally were saved by Jane's team… we hadn't really had the time to catch our breath, before Robert simply collapsed. He was dead on the spot. We later found out that he had somehow remained alive for long enough that we could continue the mission, then simply giving in when done. I was, as the commanding officer, given full responsibility and first thing I had to do, was to write a letter to the guys relatives. His old folks, his daughter… it was… I think that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It almost destroyed me. When I was told later on, that I didn't qualify for N7, I didn't argue. I lost men. N7 don't lose men. Not like that." He said, voice sad from the memory of the guilt. The guilt he still carried around.

"Was the station saved?"

"What? Yeah, yeah we saved it. Jane was rewarded with N7, and I remained an N6. In the start, I was actually a bit… jealous. I had been this close… and then I tripped by the finishing line. Jane, she continued on to assume command of a small team of hardcore badasses. Now, this is where you should think that was it, and that I never saw her again… but, and Thyr knows why, she actually requested me to join her team. Of course, I jumped at the chance, although I was unsure if her decision was because of our relationship, or my skills. She never actually told me; just that she needed me on her crew. We then went on several missions together. One, I remember very vividly. It was the one where I for the first time saw the darkness roaming in her heart… the evil she was capable of… it… was like seeing a different person altogether…" His voice was filled with regret, perhaps of not being able to stop her, from whatever she had been doing. Tara didn't know, but it still made her sad to see him like this. Not very sad, just enough so that she felt bad.

"What happened?" She asked in a low whisper, almost afraid of letting him hear the question. For a moment, it looked like he hadn't, but then he spoke;

"Do you… know a planet the name of Torfan?" He asked. Tara did know that planet. It was under the Batarian Hegemony, and housed a number of smaller colonies.

"Yeah?"

"Well… what I'm… Tara, you have to promise me, promise me, that you will never talk to anyone about this. Can you do that?" He asked. She was worried now. What he had told her so far wasn't dangerous information, so it had to be what Jane had done that he wanted her silence on. She nodded, anxious of what he might say;

"We… we set down on Torfan, pursuing a group of pirates who had raided a human-turian colony in the Terminus… they had killed almost all of the colonists, even children… so, we went to bring them in, to make sure they never killed another innocent again. I was pissed, but Jane… I hadn't, and still haven't, seen her like that before. If I should compare her to anything, imagine a Krogan on the blood rage, then remove the krogan and put in a biotic woman with red hair, green eyes and a steely resolve." He said, sighing.

"When we touched down on the planet, we went to the nearest colony, demanding that they gave us the whereabouts of the slavers. Jane was in charge mind you, so I was more like her second. When the locals gave us some coordinates, we left immediately for the place, gearing up for a kill. When we got there, there was nothing… at first. We looked around, and suddenly we were ambushed, snipers and machine gunners all over. We managed to kill them all, no small thanks to Jane's biotics. We found out that the colonists had lured us in a trap, sent us here, and then made sure the pirates were ready for us. I argued for arresting the whole bunch. Jane didn't say a word, but I could feel the hate welling up in her. I could understand the hate, but what she did… when we got back to the colony, she demanded that we rounded up every single person in the colony, men, women and even kids. She then had them all gathered in the middle of the colony, to listen to her. She went on and on with her rampage, shouting and yelling at the scared fucks. I could see some of the kids starting to cry, she was that scary. The mothers placed themselves in front of the kids, whether they were their own or not. The men scowled at her, most with fear in their eyes, but some with insolent hatred. There was this constant blue haze around her, like she was at an all time ready to destroy every single person she could lay her eyes on. Then… it happened…" He said, and Tara could see how his face almost turned gray at the memory.

"What happened?"

"She… one of the Batarians… someone in the crowd… we never found out who, threw a rock at her, hitting her helmet so that the visor cracked, and she was almost thrown to the ground. Before I, or anyone else could react, Jane was… she just… killed them. She just snapped, heaving herself into the air, and then launching herself into the crowd… then, she just started killing. And killing… she just went on and on while we just stood there and watched. We just watched! The people farthest from the center, from her… they got away. When the civilians around her had escaped… the ground was just… you couldn't see the grass for corpses, corpses and torn off limps. I remember this one… man. He threw his wife out of Jane's way, only for Jane to grab him instead. The… the blood… she turned him inside out, while his friends and family just ran away…"

"Keelah… that… I never even heard of that…" This was all so massive. Hearing about the things he had been through, what he had done, what he had witnessed… this Jane had turned out to be a monster, and slaughtered a colony.

"A part of me died that day… as did a part of Jane. I could never forget, nor forgive what she had done, and for a long time, I contemplated turning her in to the Alliance tribunal of war crimes…"

"But… you didn't?"

"Huuuuuuhhhhhh….no… no I didn't. believe me, to this very day, I still wonder if I should have… if there was anything I could have done…"

"So Jane wasn't prosecuted?"

"Not that I know of, no…"

"So what happened? You stayed away from her?" Tara asked. For some reason, this lifted her hopes, but she disgusted the reason for it.

"As strange, and probably wrong as it sounds… no, I didn't. while I avoided her for the rest of the mission, and the day… when she came to me later on, begging for my forgiveness, for my help with… overcoming herself. She cried and sobbed, telling me that she was becoming a monster. I was surprised, to say the least. But I was also a bit more calmed down than I had been the earlier days. We sat down, talked… I eventually convinced her to confess to a priest. Though I'm not Christian myself, she was. When she came out from the closet, the small room where you talk to the priest, I was waiting for her. We both talked to the priest together, trying to figure out where Jane should go from here, how she could find peace with herself."

"The priest didn't turn her in? why not?" Tara could not understand that. what was the point in having her confess to someone, when nothing was done about it?

"In Christianity, one of the major religions of humanity, there is a practice of seeking forgiveness from the holy figures of our churches. When you confess to a priest, in theory, you allow the priest to tell God about what he has heard, and let it be up to God if and how the person should be punished. But then, after some days of speculating, we came up with… an idea. We made some arrangements with the distributors of payment, so that seventy percent of Jane's pay would go to a fund for the survivors from the massacre that was carried out by "unknown" on Torfan. I stayed by her for all that time, and frankly, I think that's what kept her from losing it."

"So… you dream was what happened on Torfan?"

"…No. After the fund had been created, we continued as if nothing had happened, besides the regular checks with a psychiatrist I set her up with. She may have disliked the idea in the start, but she needed it. I know she needed it… and then…" He said, looking like he was considering what he was going to say;

"Then what?"

"I lost her… we were walking somewhere in the Citadel, when some guy suddenly jumped out with a gun, shooting before I could even do anything. My whole world went to shit that day, and before I knew it, I was lying on a toilet here on Illium. A few months later, I found you." He said, ending his tale in a rather as-a-matter-of-fact way. Rather unusual for the expression on his face.

"I… I'm sorry to hear that. There was nothing the doctors or any onlookers could do?" The Quarian asked. This caused Magnus to delve deeper into the memory of the day it had all gone to shit, looking back at Jane, crouched over his body. _I told her my story Jane… but I didn't mention that I was the one to die… I wonder, could you be watching from somewhere, somehow being aware of my actions, watching over me from other dimensions?_

There was no point in telling Tara something she, even if she believed everything he had told her so far, could not believe: that he had been killed, picked up by the Grim Reaper, and then shot back out in the seemingly same universe. But if it was the same, why not simply spawn him close to Jane? It was this same rationality that had kept him from simply asking Atheyta where Jane Shepard, commander of the Normandy, was. For all he knew, the Shepard in this universe was a guy, or even non-existent. His view of reality and what was possible… had long since gone out the airlock, so to speak. The dream did mean one thing though: Even in his sub consciousness, he knew he had to find a way back to Jane, or pull the trigger on himself when he met a male Shepard. There really wasn't more to it than that. sighing, he looked up at Tara, the Quarian girl who had repaid his help by taking him in, nursing him back to a somewhat normal state, though he now sported nine fingers, and a probably hideous scar on his face. "_All in a day's work", as she would have said…_

_I wonder if I'll ever see her again… smell her hair… Look into her emerald eyes… Feel the heat from her body…_

"Well, I'm glad for the concern… but since I've pretty much told you my entire life story… could I ask you a question Tara?" She seemed a bit surprised at this, but nodded.

"What _did_ you use all those money on?" The question left her silent for some moments, before he could have sworn he saw a grin behind the helmet.

"Get up. I'll show you."

* * *

**Alright, that actually was longer than I had dared hope for! I had hoped I might be able to squeeze out some 5.000 words with Magnus, but the bugger just wrote itself. With some help from a certain female Quarian, of course :)**

**As I alway say, remember to review, rewrite or rethink your strategy for eating cheese! Wait what? Damn, I must be tired... just remember the first "re-" thing. **

**Till next time.**


	18. The Drunk, the Bedridden and the Heroes

**Alright. This chapter wil be a little different, in the sense that it will be not so much about Thom, as about some... other people. Think of it as a sort of bonus-chapter, as the things in this will have some, but not much meaning..nah, you know what? It's a normal chapter, because f**k the reapers, that's why.**

**But, I was kind of in a... what's the word? I was arguing with myself over this chapter, as I kind of wasn't used to writing 3'person when I started this, but I actually think it should be a major part of this story. Because, consider that only so musch can happen while Thom is in the hospital, so instead we focus on his friends and such... anyway, just enjoy :)**

* * *

"Hit me another!" Jane said, as she lifted her now empty glass into the air. A few patrons around her gave her a sideways glance, as if to see if it was some lowlife drunkard who was bellowing at the moment. The woman definitely didn't look like a drunkard, with her navy blues and military grade sidearm.

"You sure about that ma'am? You've already had seven drinks of shard wine, and that's just today… I'm not ending up explaining to the docs why your liver suddenly failed." The young woman said, giving the red-head an annoyed glance, as if to figure out if she should get her boss, or simply serve another drink. She eventually decided on the latter, pouring a new glass of the strongest drink Flux was allowed to serve.

"Shut it… I didn't work shit out with C-Sec to get you out of Cora's Den, just for you to question my orders Jenna. Now serve me zat drink." The girl looked visibly shaken for a moment, before she leaned in closer;

"Wha… how did you know about… did Rita tell you? Was it your friends who shot up the place?" The drink was still firmly held in her hand, as Jane, even drunk as she was, forced it from her grip, nodding a thank you.

"If you really wanna know, then I was the one working out the paperwork-bullshit, John was apparently the one who decided to shoot up the place… now unless you wanna… wanna thank me, I sug… sag… suggest you leave me to my drinking… I have some stuff to go over." The girl seemed to recoil for a moment, taken aback by the rudeness, before she simply turned and left with a small "thank you". Jane simply nodded, before inhaling the sweat scent of the foreign liquor, wondering what exactly it was made of. The oddly green liquid danced in the glass, playing with the light from the large window in the ceiling. _Funny… don't remember there being a window here…_ she thought to herself as she slowly gulped down the drink, savoring the taste with what taste buds having not already been killed off by the amounts of alcohol she had subjugated them to.

Letting the glass hit the counter again, she slowly got up, and carefully managed to waltz over to one of the tables in the corner, wanting to be left alone. Here she sat, looking at the people occupying the room, wishing that she could change places with them, just for one day. _I bet they don't have as much shit on their board as me… fuck, why is my brain still working when my legs are shit?_ This always _did_ cause her to wonder, but she was not in the mood for any mental exercises at the moment. Tearing two pieces of paper from the paper napkins on the table, she crumbled them, making two small balls which she then proceeded to stuff in her ears, drowning out the music playing in the bar. _Always the same fucking music… why the hell can't they change it once in a while?_ She then folded her arms on the table, and let her head fall down, resting on the soft cushions of clothes and flesh.

"You okay Jane?" a voice asked. It was a friendly voice, familiar and yet so distant, as if belonging to someone long dead and gone.

"nghhh… go away…" she said, not bothering to see if it was Kaidan who had disturbed her rest.

"You know that's not going to help Skipper…" a female voice joined in. Somewhere in her mind, a set of alarm-bells went off, hearing the voice.

"hhhhh…. Who is it? Cnan't you snee I'm tnying to sfeep here?" her mouth was covered by an arm, making most words impossible to understand.

"Never thought I would see the day where you actually got downed by a drink. Seemed like even Wrex couldn't keep up with you." The female voice continued, in a slightly mocking tone, Jane could hear. That was the funny thing about it though. That she could hear them. The improvised earplugs were effectively blocking all sound but the people's voices, carrying as clear as if they had been inside her head, not next to her. Finally, deciding not to give the woman, Ash most likely, the satisfaction of seeing her second commander in the shit, she looked up.

"So, decided to rejoin us have you?" in front of Jane, two people, a man and a woman, were sitting on the couch. One of them, she easily recognized as Ashley, leaning back on one of the chairs with a snide smile on her lips. For some reason, Jane thought the Chief smelled… burnt, as if she had been standing too close to a campfire. Studying the woman closer, Jane could also see several burn marks, and even the right eyebrow was missing, as if burned off. _She wasn't like that when we arrived here… was she?_

"What do you want Ash? I did my best to save Thomas, and as far as I know, he is alive… You want an apology? Fine, I'm sorry your boyfriend lost his eye… and probably his arm as well… I really did the best I could." Jane noticed a slight frown on Ash's face.

"Well, I _could _use an apology, but it wouldn't be for what happened to that kid."

"Hmm? What for then? I'll apologize for the size of the moons of Saturn if that means you'll leave, and take Thomas here with you." She was, of course, referring to the man next to Ash, as logic dictated Ash wouldn't go on a bar without her boy toy. _Still… he is up remarkably fast…_

"For leaving me to die." Ash said, as calm as if she had commented on the music, or the colors of the light in the room. Still, the words made the blood freeze in Jane's veins.

"What… why… I already said I'm sorry back on the Normandy when you slapped me, isn't that enough? Do you want to press me into yelling to the entire room how sorry I am that I got you…well, your dimensional twin, killed? Did you burn yourself to make me feel guilty?" Jane was getting pissed now, and the booze wasn't making her calm down a bit. Rather the opposite was happening actually.

"Burn myself? Jane, do you know what it feels like to be ready to fight, kill and even take a bullet for someone, then suddenly hear them sentence you to your death? Not very funny… not funny at all."

"What do you mean "take a bullet for me"? You hardly know me, and you seemed like you wanted to _give _me a bullet the last time I spoke to you, not the other way around."

"Jane… don't you recognize me? I mean really recognize me?" Ash said, a bit of sadness in her voice as she asked.

"What do you mean "recognize you"? You are Ashley Williams, serving on the Normandy and-"

"And left to die on Virmire, despite Kaidan's pleas to save me instead of him."

"How could you know that? You both told me to save the other, that's how it was." Jane said, almost slamming the table.

"Because I was there Jane… I begged you to save me, to at least try and wait for me and the Salarians to get back… but you just took Kaidan and left. You left us to die… how do you feel about that?" The last question was asked in a very calm tone, almost as if it was Chakwas asking how she had felt after Eden Prime.

"What do you want?"

"I told you, an apology… but while we are at it, why don't you apologize to him as well?" Ash said, gesturing at the man next to her. It was only now that Jane paid him any attention, thinking it had been Thomas all the time. Now, however, she looked at the guy, dressed in the navy blues, but with a hole in the clothes near the chest. Looking at his face, she almost fainted, feeling the blood go to her head, leaving it again, and her heart almost leaving her chest through the hole it was sure to smash in it;

"M…Ma…" She stuttered. Nothing more could come over her lips, as she looked at the man she herself had seen die, killed by gunshot.

"Hey Jane…" The young man say, his dark-blond hair hanging down his cheeks, showing the perfect face she had come to love. Jane couldn't move, couldn't think, could only look, look and feel her body tremble with shock.

"You..." She began, her voice hoarse with emotion, trying hard to refrain from snapping and crying.

"Me" He simply said, putting a hand on her shoulder, but still giving off a presence of something sinister, something… wrong;

"But… you… you can't be here…"

"Because I'm dead? Jane, you'll find that the line between life and death can be walked, and crossed, quite easily at times. Didn't you die yourself? On Virmire?"

"Why have you… are you really here? Am I just so drunk that I'm seeing things?" Jane managed to get out, her lips trembling.

"Ask yourself things you know, and still you won't get an answer. I'm not really here no… and neither is Ash… Despite what Ash may want, the apology, the feeling of triumph over you, having destroyed you with guilt, I'm not here to blame you, or demand an apology."

"But I am." Ash said, her voice harsh; "I could have had a life with Kaidan, you know… I could have been a mother, had his children, we had plans… instead; you left me to die in nuclear fire." The hostility in her voice almost brought Jane to her knees, forcing a small stream of tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry, okay?! I had to choose! I'm not trying to make it sound like I didn't have a choice, but… Kaidan just had a greater chance of making it. I never wanted to make that kind of decision, to have to sacrifice one of my crew, but I had to! It was either that, or we would have all died!" Several guests had started starring at the woman in the corner, shouting at herself.

Ash had replaced the scowl on her face with that of indifference. She looked upon the broken form of her commander, the woman who had caused her death, but not with hatred. This time, it was as if she had what she had come for, making the staunch commander break.

"Don't think this means you are in the clear. I know that there is… another version of me here, so I'll stay and make sure that you'll do better this time." She said, leaning back. Jane looked like someone who had just lost the most important person in her life, looking to the world as if she had just been told that her mother or child had died.

"Ash…" The man said, looking at the female soldier; "I think you've done what you came for…"

"Yeah, well I'll keep an eye on her… for some time…" She said, getting up from her seat and left the pair to themselves. Jane let her head sink back to her arms, releasing a loud sigh, and letting the waves of exhaustion rush over her. She had come here to… why _had_ she come here anyway? Would drinking help relieve her of the guilt she felt over almost having Thomas Fisher killed? It had certainly not helped her in the way that she had hoped for, and not helped in the way that two deceased members of her crew had come back to haunt her. Now, only one remained: the man she had loved, the man she had been forced to watch die in her arms.

"Jane…"

"So why are you here? Have you come to torment me as well…Magnus?"

"No… I'm here to…talk. I would like to just sit down and talk, if you don't mind." His smile was sad, as if he had trouble saying what he meant. Jane's mood still increased, hearing that he wasn't here to blame her for his death.

"I would like that…" She said, tears in her eyes as the man she would have given it all up for, was sitting next to her, holding her hand. To the people still looking, it looked to them as if she was sitting by herself, crying and talking to imaginary people.

"Jane… how are you feeling? You never had a chance to answer me before…" He said, putting a smile on, and stroking her hand. She shivered from the touch, having missed it since the day he died. _Died… you died from me Magnus… yet, here you are… am I finally going insane?_ She asked herself, as she for some reason averted his eyes, fearing that he would vanish the second she looked into them.

"I… I don't know. My life went to hell the day you… you left me, and then Wrex tried killing me on Virmire, and… Ashley shot him… She saved my life… and then… and then, I decided to leave her on that planet as we prepared to move out… only, the bomb went off before we had escaped, and then…"

"Let me guess; a white light?"

"Y-Yes… it was brighter than anything I had ever seen… and then, I woke up…"

"Where?" He asked, a tender smile on his face. It may have seemed out of place, given the question, but Jane was nevertheless glad to see it.

"Do you remember Therum, where we found Liara?" She said, still looking at their hands, never daring to let her gaze go above the lips of the man, fearing what she might see in his eyes. Or what she might not see.

"How could I forget? I was almost crushed by the fucking earthquake that followed your little drilling with that big-ass laser drill."

"Yeah… well, when the light had faded, I found myself standing in front of the force field that held Liara captured. She was still there, and I used the drill again to get her out of there. Then, I heard gunfire and humans shouting deeper inside the caves, and I thought they were perhaps the survivors fighting the geth…"

"Were there?"

"N-No… well, there were humans, and they were fighting… but they weren't the survivors, and they weren't fighting the geth… something much, much worse. There was a single woman down there… one woman! A soldier, but she was wearing some odd kind of armor, like I've never seen before… she kept shooting and shouting about bugs… that's when I saw them, for the first time… like… like a nightmare that fucked a scorpion and a snake, then giving birth to something even worse. Like… I can't even describe it… but they showed no fear, no fear at all. Even when I smashed them with my biotics, they just kept coming, like some kind of… swarm. The ground was simply black with them, and even with Liara's biotics, we couldn't do much to hold them back, but to form a biotic shield. I thought it odd, back then that the female soldier almost screamed when we started performing our biotic stunt. She actually stopped firing and just stared at us… that's when I lost consciousness. They said I was hit by a falling rock, and later on Liara lost consciousness as well… it was just pure hell. I mean, how… who would have thought that this lone woman could defend not just herself, but two fallen soldiers against these snake-bugs? I- we were just lucky that the Normandy crew showed up… and then, when I woke up, I discovered just how deep the shitstorm- the weirdness extended. I mean… I woke up, to see not only a person who I knew by certainty didn't belong on the Normandy, standing in front of me… and not only that, but Ashley was standing in front of me as well… I was… shocked, but I tried hiding it. Perhaps the whole explosion and then Therum… had just been a dream, and we had all gotten of Virmire. That still left the guy next to Ashley. I asked him who the hell he was… I think. I don't remember that part of the conversation that well, but what I do remember… was what he said." Jane said, taking a pause in her speech, not noticing the now dozens of eyes observing her, wondering why she was chatting with herself.

"Did he offer an explanation?"

"Thomas? The guy was called Thomas Fisher, by the way. Dane, as far as I know. But yeah, he did offer an explanation."

"Dane hmm? Like me…"

"You're Icelandic…"

"Well, to be honest I descend from Iceland, but the majority of my life was spent in Denmark. I told you this, though I do not remember when…"

"I get it…" she said, sighing and fighting to keep the tears from building up further; "You aren't really here, so everything you know… I must also know…" Now, she finally dared looking into his eyes, and saw the sadness in them;

"Yes… though, I can leave if you want me to… you know I would never cause you harm or discomfort." Now, both his hands were placed on hers, spreading some kind of warmth from him to her. Even if it was all in her head, Jane relished it, recognizing the feeling of his touch. She slowly shook her head;

"No…No, I don't want you to leave… not yet. I need… I need someone to talk to… someone to listen to… who knows me for all my flaws and… and evil deeds, and who will still stand by me… like you did." She said, halfway fighting to utter every word. Somewhere deep inside, Jane knew that this person in front of her wasn't real, that it was only a figment of her imagination, combined with the loss of sanity her fighting had caused her.

"Don't worry. I won't leave until you don't need me anymore… and frankly, I can see you needing me a lot more than this… But Jane… there are some things you must understand, cope with, before some semblance of healing can take place in you." He said, a small smile on his lips, but the same sad expression on his face.

"I know…" She said, her voice hoarse.

"So… you know that one of the first things would be to accept the deaths of those you cared about… me included?" She nodded, biting her lips so hard that she thought they would start bleeding.

"But… if I… even if I accept… does that mean I can never see you again?" Jane said, now on the verge of breaking down. She faced the table, not daring to look at him. A hand cupped her chin, lifting her face back up again;

"I don't know. I know nothing more than you do at this point. In some way, that is a good thing, as it allows me to not simply say 'no', and let that be the end… but you saw my death yourself. I suppose it wouldn't help much to apologize for the mess I made on the floor?" He asked, a small wry smile on his lips. Jane couldn't help but release a small giggle. Faint, but it was there.

"You always had such a morbid sense of humor, you know that?" She said, feeling the tears starting to run down her cheeks. Magnus moved one of his hands to wipe the tears away, but they continued through his hand. Withdrawing them, he looked at her again;

"Yeah, though I seem to remember a certain gorgeous red-head who rather approved of it. You may know her. Her name was Jane Valentine Shepard, though most people, including herself, skipped the Valentine part, as it didn't really fit the tough woman she was."

"Yeah…" Jane said, slowly gathering herself again, managing to smile; "I think she won some admirers after she beat up Colonel Bryson, and then there was this cynical yet charming young sergeant from Iceland, who thought she was… what did he tell her? Frea herself?" This caused the man in front of her to chuckle, and she felt her own mood lift a bit as well;

"It was _Freja_, or Freya, as the English speakers spell it. She was the goddess of love and spring in the Pagan beliefs, and rumored to be the most beautiful woman in existence. That, and she could kick your ass."

"Funny…" Jane said, looking back to their hands.

"Hmm?"

"That you described a devoted protestant as a pagan goddess… actually, it's funny we even liked each other… considering you being a "heathen", so to speak." This caused Magnus, or the figment of her imagination portraying itself as him, to laugh;

"Ha! Yeah, in the old days, you would have shot, burned or crucified me! Or was that the Catholics doing that?"

"I think both have probably done it, over the course of the centuries… but the Catholics were probably the best at it." She said, the curve on her lips growing in size.

"Hey, hey, hey you are saying that like it's a good thing!" He said in mock-anger.

"Sorry, but it did seem like something impossible… for us to become… well, to make out like we did, no?"

"Yeah… can you remember that time in the jungle, near "the Villa", where we had just downed an "enemy" patrol, and then…?" He said, a grin on his face while gesturing with his hand. She tried punching him on the shoulder… only for the fist to go straight through him. _Right… not here… you're not really here… _

"Why the sudden change of mood Jane?" The man said, smile decreasing. Jane looked him in the eyes, noticing that the color was constantly changing, from brown at one moment, to blue the next. She sighed, feeling the lump pressing in the throat again;

"It's… you are not really here… you are dead… dead. For fucks sake Magnus, why did you have to pull this shit on me? Dying in front of my very eyes, then just turning up again, giving me hope that you in some insane, miraculous way survived anyway, and just now found your way back to me? What did I ever do to deserve this?" Magnus grew more serious now, the smile turning into a more pursed line;

"Jane… we have both done some shit that neither of us is proud of… I hope. I once executed a prisoner, wetting his pants and puking in fear… and you know why? Because I could. It was… before I met you… while I was still a corporal, on duty on a planet which name I don't know because you never knew more than this, and you… remember Torfan?" She nodded, memories of screaming civilians coming back to her, the sound of limps being separated from bodies, Batarians being vaporized… children screaming for the daddy that was just flung against a building. The cries, the insane cries of mothers watching in horror as she threw their sons around like rag-dolls.

"I… I wasn't myself at that time…" Magnus simply slowly shook his head, causing the despair in her to reappear;

"Jane, I say this as the part of your conscience that was affected by me… You _were_ yourself at that time. You discovered some primal bloodlust that made everything else obsolete. I can only guess that you didn't see them as women and children, but as bags of meat, or evil grinning faces… like when your parents died…" Jane's lips became thin, her breath heavy;

"Don't… don't go there… please."

"The raid on Mindoir… the total slaughtering of more than seven thousand colonists… by Batarians. Perhaps, knowing that you could repay some of the evil on Batarian colonists… made you succumb to your own inner demon? I do not know, but I'm guessing that your parents death had some part to play in the… in what you did on Torfan."

"Stop… I… I don't want to talk about it…"

"But Jane, my point is, that we helped each other overcome our… mistakes, and forged a pretty good bond doing so. In the same way as you tried to atone for what you did that day, in the same way must you try to atone for the mistakes you made later on. Yes, you may have died… in a bit more spectacular manner than me granted, but you were granted a second chance, a chance to correct your mistakes, to save those you failed to save in your last life. And before you get your hopes up, then no. I don't think I'll be there as well, seeing as you haven't met me yet… I think. Just, too many people die every day for them to be resurrected like you did. But you can save Ash, and… Thomas, you said it was. Look at saving him, as sort of a… way to make it up to me. Not that I require it, but it may set your mind more at ease… I don't know."

"But… I don't know if I can do that. Can't you stay and help me? Like that voice-thing Thomas has?"

"I'm afraid not… me being here is already putting enough strain on your psyche as it is… I… I'm afraid I have to go now…"

"What? N-No! You can't just… you said you couldn't go until I said so!" Jane was almost openly crying now, tears streaming down her face, messing up the last remnants of her mascara.

"Jane… no matter how bad things may seem, know that I'll always be with you. Can you do that?" He said, form starting to fade, as if he was a ghost that had materialized itself. The lump in Jane's throat felt like it was as far as the back of her mouth, forcing her to hold her mouth as to stop it from emerging in a scream.

"No! I won't let you leave me again! Not a-" She said, speech hindered by the convulsions of fear and grief; "Again! I lost you once you asshole! Don't… don't do it to me again!" As she said the last words, his form faded completely, leaving her alone in the booth. Jane let her head fall on her arms, blocking all view of her face. Those seated close enough could still hear the sobs from underneath the cover of her arms.

* * *

"So, how does it feel now?" Emhart is standing at my side, adjusting the arm. It has only been about fifteen minutes since I woke up, but when I did, I felt… strangely whole again, as if my arm had never been gone. All the nerves and sense had returned and… well, let's just say that it feels good to be able to hold both a knife and a fork again. Ash was a bit… surprised at first, over how quickly I adjusted to the arm, and so was Emhart;

"I… I think it feels okay. There are no problems with moving it, and as you…" I say, moving my fingers; "…can see, it pretty much responds to all my thoughts… now I just need Ash to get the hair-beefs, and I'll be like Luke Skywalker."

"Hey Kid, remember that they turned out to be siblings." Tequila says, leaning against the wall next to a big plasma-screen.

"Yeah, Yeah… but I don't believe I can convince you to get them, so Nic can be Han Solo." I say, and almost instantly regret it. _Dammit, they are not a thing you blasted idiot!_

"Ha! That Nerf-herder? In his dreams." She says, shooting a wry smile in Nic's direction, while he is halfway drooling on his chair, only being brought back to life as Tequila kicks the chair, almost making him fall off. He flies to his feet, making some kind of ridiculous karate-stance;

"What? What's going on?!" He barks, until he sees the entirety of the room, even the doctor, smiling and halfway laughing at him. He shoots Tequila a glare, where after he sits back on the chair;

"Well, I haven't had much sleep for the past ten days, so pardon me for drifting off…" He mumbles, repositioning himself to be able to sit better.

"No harm down Nic, but before sleep claims you again, take a look at the new me." I say, lifting the arm, the new one that is, into the air. He looks at it, as if it is simply a normal arm made of flesh and bone, and lifts an eyebrow;

"Impressive… what can it do?"

"Why don't we arm-wrestle, and I'll show you." I say, but Emhart shoots me a glare;

"What?"

"If you start over-straining the arm too much, before the VI can get to work, you may end up tearing it clean off. Not really a desirable scenario, as the P.H would only cover this surgery, not the second one."

"Fine, fine… so, when _can_ I use it? I mean, really use it?"

"You can use it with the same level of strength as the right arm for now, though the level should increase daily till you could, in theory, lift five-hundred kilos with that arm… in theory."

"Well, I can understand that… but I just have a few questions…" And I do. Some things have been on my mind since I woke up… well, before I was put to sleep again.

"Shoot. I'll try to answer as best as I can." He says, adopting a more casual attitude and putting down some kind of tool he used to refit the prosthesis. He leans against the window, looking like he is leaning against empty air. The sky-cars are zooming past, both above and beneath the building, and I suddenly discover that the hospital is not located in the walls of the Presidium… we are hovering above it! _Who the hell had the bright idea to build a hospital in the middle of the "highway"?_

"_Perhaps the same guy who decided to go back to limited ammunition instead of heat sinks?"_

"_Ah, hey Roku. 'Was wondering when you would pipe up… you sound better."_

"_Yes, the sedation worked wonders, it seems."_

"_Good to know… So, are you ready for that meeting with the councilor?_

"_Nér shul, I had forgotten about that!"_

"_What the hell did you just call me?"_

"_Nothing… just a… I was simply reminded of the meeting… funny that you have gotten a better memory than me…"_

"_Nah, I just remember other stuff… you can be in charge of remembering the important stuff, and I'll remember the other things."_

"_Fair enough… but what will you tell him? The councilor, I mean."_

"_Huh… I don't really know… I mean, I pretty much told him everything during the holo-meeting, so I figure you will be doing most of the talking."_

"_Hmm… So I have to reveal myself to a member of the galactic council… wonderful."_

"_Hey, you didn't seem to mind it when you revealed yourself on the Normandy!"_

"_That was… I think that was different. I mean, then it could be kept secret on the ship, but now if the entire galaxy, worst case, finds out, you could be strung to a table and be dissected…"_

"_Ew… I am not really looking forward to that…"_

"_Me neither… but I think the doctor is saying something to you."_

"…listening?" I hear Emhart say, and I quickly snap back to him. A bit shameful, I shake my head, and he sighs, repeating;

"I said: I am going to have you conduct some movements and different tests and such. You know, the usual."

"Oh… right. So, what do I have to do?" I ask, shifting my gaze between my hand, Emhart and Ash.

"Well, let's start out with checking how well you can move the fingers, shall we?" I nod.

"We'll start out with a small series of pinches. Start with moving your thumb and index finger towards each other, then move them apart again… yes, like that… and again… good."

"This is pretty easy… I thought this was supposed to retrain things that you would find hard to do…"

"Yeah well, there have been several things about you that have… confused the other doctors… to put it mildly… for one, the… oh, eh… never mind. I'm not sure you want to hear it…"

Why not? Can't be worse than what I've already been told…" I say, shrugging as I do my best to keep up the smile. _What isn't he telling me?_

"Well… then perhaps, if you want to hear it… perhaps your friends should… step outside… if they will allow it, of course. Now that you are out of immediate danger, see, it is not my place to determine your visitors… but I doubt they would like to hear this." He says, turning towards the trio in the doorway;

"I… guess, that if… Thomas, will you be alright without us?" Nic asks, giving me one of the rare actually worried looks. Hell, I think the last time he did that was when I found him at the clinic… if that even qualifies as such.

"Yeah, I… I think I will… besides mate, you smell like hell… when was the last time you saw a shower?" I say, adding a grin to the question;

"The day before we arrived at Feros." He states. _Damn… he hasn't taken a bath in… what has he been doing all the time I have been here?_

"So… why didn't you find a shower or something while waiting for me to wake up?"

"Didn't cross my mind actually… I've been sleeping on a couch in the hallway for about ten or eleven days now…"

"Damn… I… thanks…" I say, as the group begins to file out of the room, Tequila in front. Nic turns to look at me with a wry smile;

"Don't go all soft on me now, 'kay?" He says, leaving Ash the last of the visitors to leave;

"So… you have to go as well?" I ask, silently hoping that she will stay. She nods though;

"I think the doctor would like to speak to you in private. Just shout if he tries giving you an overdose or something, alright?"

"Will do ma'am." I say, snapping an odd salute with my right arm, a grin on my face. As soon as she leaves, it disappears. I look at the door as it closes, trying to listen to her footsteps as they echo down the hallway. Her scent is still in the room though, and I try to inhale as much of it as I can. That's when I discover that the smelling bastardo polluted it with his… smell. _Damn you Nic, take a bath next time._ I chuckle to myself, as I look back at the doc. He wears a strange smile, and it almost… well, it feels both creepy and warm. Like the smile of the third wheel on a date, happy for the couple, yet not getting the hint to leave them alone.

"Gotta say kid, I've seen some serious cases of _amor pro aliis_, but you rank in the top five."

"I'm sorry what? Is that some new disease that only I have, and now you have to keep me here for studies?" _What did that word mean?_

"Well, some would call it a disease, causing blindness, rapid heart beating and flimmering eyes, as well as incoherent speaking and sweating…" _Fuck! Did I get the plague or something?_

"Eh… in normal people language?"

"Ah… love."

"Oh…"

"Anyway, we came from that terrible secret, right?" He says, sitting on the chair recently lived in by Nic. Folding his hands on his chest, he sighs, the bright smile being replaced by a more tired gaze.

"What?" I ask, not being the most patient patient… Eh? Did I just make a joke? _Gah, never mind… I'll just have to remember it for later… _

"Well, one of the reasons we look at you as a special case, is that… well, to be honest, you were clinically dead…"

"What? But… my organs were all working?" I do not like the way he looks at me…

"The organs yes, but the brain had shut down, closed shop, pulled the plug… we were actually ready to call for a body bag" _Crap! Fuck!_ "-when… well, someone had the bright idea to give you a try with the defibrillator. Don't ask me why, it shouldn't work that way with the brain-dead, but we guessed we might as well try, and bingo, as they say it, you lit up like a Christmas tree. I almost resigned on the spot, you know. Such a thing was supposed to be medicinally impossible, to electrocute the brain back into shape. But, it worked. I deemed it a fucking medicinal miracle, and called for tests to be taken, samples and the whole shit. That was how we discovered another thing that you have to be aware of. Your body… it looked like it had been exposed to insane amounts of Eezo, yet there were neither signs of biotic abilities, nor any kind of cancer. That was when one of the other doctors actually resigned, stating that this wasn't proper science, this was space magic and witchcraft. Hell I won't blame him… I am still having a hard time believing it."

"So… I was dead, real dead, then you just "cleared" me, like someone with a heart attack, and now I hear that I have cancer… or that I should have cancer? Well… I've tried worse, that's for sure, but this takes the cake in the weirdness category…"I say, trying to keep up the appearance of not being startled and pissed at the same time. I'm not sure how much I succeed.

Sighing, I look to my left, out the large window overlooking the rest of the Presidium._ I wonder where the rest of the crew is now… probably with Jane, drinking their brains out…_

* * *

"Hey Boss… you do notice that pretty much every single person in the street is starring at us right?" Scorch said, walking down the street with the rest of Delta-squad, helmet under arm and a happy, yet wondering smile on his lips. The lead-clone, Delta-38, or Boss, as everyone called him, slowed down, looking at the surrounding humans and aliens alike, noticing the looks they were sending their way;

"Well, perhaps they are just stricken by our good looks?" He said, a smile on his lips. This was the closest thing there was to them actually being on shore leave since the mission aboard the _Prosecutor_, where the CIS had almost taken the ship. _Damn lizards_, he thought, as he remembered seeing the scalebacks slaughtering his ordinary brothers.

"Yeah, I bet they are all looking at me." Sev said, carrying himself with an air one wouldn't expect from someone just recently returned from the dead.

"Sure Sev, I bet the bloodstained armor is a real lady magnet." Scorch replied, a smug smile on his lips. Everything had happened so fast, after they had been forced to abandon Delta-07 on Kashyyk, and it wasn't until now he could actually get the chance to realize that they were all alive, despite everything.

"As long as it isn't his blood, I think we should be grateful to whatever spirit that actually managed to get him back, seeing how the Jedi wasn't inclined to help us there." Fixer said, shooting his hardened brother a sideways glance. Sure enough, if any one of them had some scars, both physically and mentally, it was Sev, having experienced the panic and dread of being left behind, then being killed, and suddenly finding himself on some foreign planet, along with his brothers. Thinking back, the slicer realized that they had all been very much cooler about the sudden resurrection than he would have thought… _well_, he thought to himself, _except for Scorch, that is…_

"About that… Sir…" Sev said, sounding more serious now, as he carefully eyed a group of aliens that strangely resembled some kind of humanoid frog. The stare was returned, as the creature wondered over the four seemingly identical men, distinguished only by the fact that one was bald, one had a Mohawk, the leader a short and military-style haircut, and himself the rare trimmed and beaded hair, in red lines across the head.

"About what oh-seven?" Boss replied, stopping to look at a sign he couldn't read. Strange symbols were flashing in neon, and he had considered asking a passerby for the location of a diner, when the team's sniper spoke up again, this time with a more… worryingly tone to the question;

"I have been thinking sir… if I may speak freely…"

"Thinking? Did it hurt?" Scorch asked, sarcasm mixed with a good-hearted chuckle.

"No, but it soon will if you don't shut it Scorch." Sev replied, raising his fist in a mock-threat.

"What is it Sev?" Boss asked, turning his attention back to the group.

"Well sir… remember the commander on the ship? Shepard, I think his name was?"

"Don't tell me you're still pissed at him for knocking you out?"

"Well no sir, but… remember what the young troo- marine said? That it were those two, their race, that built the clankers? How do we know we can really trust them?"

"They seem nice enough to me Sev." Scorch said, interrupting. Boss thanked him in his mind, as he was unsure of how to answer that question. Sure, it had been confirmed that those clankers, those _geth_ had been built by the race known as _Quarians_, but at the same time the two aliens had been shooting at the very same machines, unlike if you put a Geo in front of a battle-droid. Then the shots would be coming the other way.

"Yeah Scorch, I saw how you looked after that blue girl. I thought you were into Twi'leks?" Fixer said, completely derailing the conversation, but he had _eyes_, even though his brother had probably hoped for the opposite. In theory, clones were not created with the human ability to blush, but then that would mean the "boom-boom" guy had contracted some sort of illness that made his ears go red, along with most of his face;

"Why- I was _not_ looking at her… I mean after her… I mean, I wasn't meaning to… I mean, why do you even care?"

"Easy one brother" Fixer replied; "Because it's rare we are without helmet, and even rarer we get to see you become embarrassed _without_ the helmet on. Besides, she _is_ a real cutie, don't you agree boys?" Fixer continued, giving a smirk that even Scorch would have deemed immature.

"'Course. I'd hit that." Sev said, having apparently forgotten his earlier concern, or at least pushed it from mind for the moment.

"Now, now Sev, is that a proper way to speak?" Boss said, and Scorched silently hoped there could be restored some sense of dignity to the conversation, before he would blow a gasket; "Though I do agree. For an alien, she is pretty hot."

"BOSS! I thought you were supposed to be the mature one here? You know: "superior to your brothers"? That sort of thing?" Scorch growled, feeling the temperature rise inside his armor.

"Relax commando, I'm only kidding. I just mean that I respect your choice in courtship."

"I don't even know what that last… Boss, some guys in armor are coming this way… straight for us…" Scorch said, ending his line as a group of armored humans and the bird-like aliens called _Turians_ moved towards them, all dressed in similar armor. Even though the body shapes demanded different designs, they were as identical as clone trooper's armor. Besides the fact that the armor was all blue and black, not gleaming white. Boss looked at them, instantly sensing two things. One, these people were obviously from some kind of military organization, given the armor and assault rifles they were sporting, and two: they were headed right for the clones, fingers loosely on the triggers of their guns. Remembering the ear-plugs they had received, Boss adjusted it in his ear, turning it on;

"You there. Carrying assault-grade firearms on the Citadel is illegal for all but military high officers and law enforcers. I must ask you to submit to a search, hand them over and follow me back to the station, since you are obviously neither." The Turian leading the group said, pointing at the DC-15 blasters the commandoes were carrying. Sev started saying something rude, but Boss held up a hand, silencing him;

"I beg your pardon sir, but we were not aware of this rule. We are… new, to the station, and as such we have not yet had the chance to learn the rules and regulations of the place. I can assure you, we have no intentions of causing any sort of incident. We will abide by any sort of rules you have, but we will _not_ relinquish our weapons. Please understand this." Boss said in his most diplomatic tone. A commando never, _never_ gave up his weapon while he still had a use for it, and even then he was not to simply discard of it, but find another use for it. Now, these people -law-enforcers, granted- wanted to take their weapons. Something every fiber of 38's being resisted, screamed against. He wondered if this was the same kind of "programming" that made them follow orders without a single question, throwing themselves into the line of fire, often in suicidal attacks.

"I don't think you hear me properly human, so I'll ask again: Relinquish your weapons, or submit to arrest for carrying live firearms of military grade on a civilian station."

"The answer is still no sir." Boss said firmly. The Turian was looking more than mildly pissed now.

"Hey, Setarius, sir… don't you recognize these guys?" One of the humans in the group suddenly said, apparently having examined the clones for quite some time.

"No, should I?" The Turian said, half-turning to face the man who had spoken.

"I guess not… you're no human after all…" The man said, perhaps not realizing that he could be entering a heated argument with his superior.

"What's that supposed to mean Vladevski?" He said, a low growl in his voice. The man seemed to get the hint, as he quickly explained himself, shifting his gaze between his boss, and the four soldiers in question;

"Well, if you had been a human, then you would follow up on human colonization, right? And then you would have followed up on Feros, Zhu's Hope, more precisely."

"I'm listening…" The Turian said.

"You see, the colony was attacked by the geth a few weeks back, and the colonists would have been slaughtered for sure if it weren't for these guys. I have a cousin there, name's Alexi, Boudruvirr Alexi. Anyway, he sent me a message a week ago, said he had been saved by four guys in very unusual armor, with strange rifles. They had even held of a dropship for more than three days, just the four of them." Vladevski spoke like someone would of their favorite gravi-ball team, with admiration and respect. It was a welcome change to 38, having been slightly annoyed over the leader's wish to relieve them of their weapons; "Well, and then, when the Normandy arrived, the big new stealth-frigate you know, the human-turian ship run by the Quarian commander? When they arrived, these four guys simply helped them kick some more ass. They saved the colony, and they are bloody heroes… sir."

"A fan? Well, there's a first time for everything…" Scorch whispered to Sev, holding a hand to his mouth to complete the gossip-like talk. Sev just chuckled, the raw sound that could still cause Fixer to become a bit nervous. It had never been a secret that Sev was a bit… unusual, in his sense of humor. Mainly because it usually involved painting the room in someone's entrails…

"How can you be so certain that it is these people? They could just as well have been Blue Suns, have you thought of that?" The Turian asked, a cold stare directed at the private. Apparently, the guy didn't notice it, as he turned on his weird glowing arm-contraption, something Scorch had been informed was called an Omni-tool, some sort of wrist-mounted computer, and produced a picture. At first, no one could really see what was on it, as it started out as poor quality, but when it became sharper, there was a deadly silence. On the picture, hovering above the man's wrist, four armed and armored clone commandoes could be seen, riddling a geth Prime with blaster bolts. More pictures followed, as it became clear to the Deltas that someone had been sneaking after them, photographing them without their knowing. That such a thing was even possible, could only mean two things, Boss thought. One was that they were becoming rusty, not watching their backs as well as they used to, the other option was that this Boudruvirr was a Sith, being able to evade them as he apparently had. Frankly, Boss was unsure which of the options he preferred.

"See sir, they are heroes. Surely we can allow them to keep their weapons?" The young man, possibly no older than twenty asked, an almost pleading tone to his question. _This is getting ridiculous_, Boss thought, as he considered the entire situation.

"So… I should simply let them… wait… you said something about the Normandy?" The Turian asked, eyes halfway closed… at least, more than they were before.

"Yes sir. I even think they ended up joining the Normandy's crew… or am I wrong in that one?" The last question had actually been aimed at them, Boss realized. Now the Turian, the young man _and_ most of the intelligent life-forms nearby were starring at them, waiting for the apparently all-meaning answer to life and existence itself.

"It is correct that we have transferred ourselves aboard the Normandy, as we saw it to be a possibility to do some good… well, and get paid. Vigilante-service doesn't exactly pay for gear and food. The ship has its own cook, and food is free, along with lodging. It was a natural choice. But why are you asking these questions?"

"Then I believe there is a young man by the name of Fisher on that ship, no?" The Turian said, locking eyes with Boss as he asked. Something about the way he was asked rubbed Boss the wrong way.

"I may… what's it to you?"

"My… superiors, namely one of them, would love for him to come down for a chat… nothing serious, just a little talk about his views on different races."

"Ahh yes… I have gathered as much as that there seems to be some kind of… disagreement between the races Quarian and Turian… though Thomas hasn't really struck me as that type of person. Indeed, he actually seemed an adamant defender of the Quarians… so I will assume this is not because he did something stupid because someone acted as a racist? And of course, that would never be the reason for him to actually be arrested, defending civil rights, now would it?"

"Of course not. We would simply like to… interview him, due to his performance at the headquarters." The Turian said, a sudden calmness to his voice. It was clear that Boss had caught him unprepared for the questions, not being able to come up with a more believable story.

If there was one thing Sev hated more than Geo's, it was people who lied, and thought to get away with it. This was also why he had never volunteered for more senate duty than absolutely necessary, back in the days of their service in the senate. They were sent back to the front when they failed to prevent the attack on the senate, led by the bounty hunter Cad Bane. In a sense, Sev was glad that he and his brothers had been out drin- eating… in a fine diner, not spending the night at that gloomy bar with that dancing Twi'lek. Nope, it was just a small cozy diner. Though I nailed her good… good times, Sev thought, as he remembered that night. It had been a tad awkward the next day, when they had been transferred to serve along with Commander Bly, under Jedi General Ayla Secura. The way Bly had looked at him when he heard about Sev's night; he could have sworn he had conjured up some joke about him and the General. That was also the day Sev got reprimanded for kicking a superior officer in the ass. It wasn't that it hurt that much, probably, but the fact that he had _kicked _a _superior_ officer.

"Cut the _Kriff_ Turian. Why are you looking for Fisher?" Sev said, having reemerged from his sea of nostalgia. The group of armed individuals, mainly the ones working for Citadel Security, looked at Sev, and even Boss turned around to look at his soldier.

"Are you implying that I am not telling the truth?" The Turian asked, mandibles flaring as if he had just been insulted more than it had seemed. And that was actually the case. For Turians, being accused of lying was an even worse insult than anything else, and even the worst of scum would admit to a crime, if asked directly. That he was being accused of lying, was saying that he was even below the worst of scum.

"That is one bright guy, right there. Yes, I'm saying that you are filling us with crap."

"Sev, Turians don't lie. I asked Nihlus about this, and even the worst of criminals don't lie… so, I'm assuming, that since I agree that he _is _filing us with crap, he himself is not fully aware of the reason. Am I right?" Boss said, changing his gaze from Sev to the Setarius.

"I was told to bring in Thomas Fisher for questioning. Reason: Difficulties with understanding the customs of races, and negative reactions to the matter. I should not actually be telling you this… but Fisher had an argument with my superior, and apparently it didn't end well." The Turian said, looking somewhat surprised he had just blurted that out. Boss crossed his arms, leaning slightly backwards in a relaxed stance;

"Well, when we see him, we'll make sure to tell him that he's wanted on the station. And eh, officer?"

"Yes, what is it mister…?"

"Boss. Do we still have to hand over our guns and all that nonsense that would eventually lead to some sort of violent incident?" He asked, gesturing towards Sev who was still wearing his grizzly sneer, not trusting the people in front of them till they would pick up and leave them the hell alone.

"Why don't we just say that…'heroes' are excused of that rule? This once anyway. Just because I'm no human, it doesn't mean I can't appreciate a good show of heroism. If you people really saved those colonists, I think we can press you into the 'Military officials' and just call it that. What do you say?"

"I think, mister Setarius, that we can come to an agreement here." Boss said, smiling. It wasn't the type of smile that meant they were best pals, but it wasn't the kind of smile that would be followed up with a right hook either. Therefore, it was a good smile.

"Then… if you will tell Fisher to come for a chat at the Academy, I think we can leave it at that." Setarius said, extending a three-digit hand. With a shrug, Boss took it, and shook it a bit awkwardly. He wasn't exactly sure what the Turian expected, that Thomas should waltz into the academy and be arrested? And what was it actually that had transpired between this "superior" of Setarius's and that guy? Certainly Thomas couldn't have done something illegal… could he? Truth be told, despite trusting the kid, Boss hardly knew him. He had only seen him in action, and hadn't had a chance to actually speak to the guy, let alone get to know the person who seemed to have the answers as to why they were there. Besides, Boss thought, the female corporal still seemed to be less than friendly towards them. _What the hell was 'order 66' anyway? _

As the patrol tuned and walked away, Boss found himself starring after them, wondering about the apparent randomness of the entire confrontation. Checking his helmets in-build systems, he could see that they had wasted almost fifteen minutes just avoiding being arrested for something that was apparently illegal.

"Well… should we try and find that diner?" Scorch said, bringing their minds back to the original task at hand: Finding something to eat.

* * *

Illium. 21th September.

"So... what do you think?" Tara said, as she opened the big door in the hangar area labeled 2905. The rust-colored door slowly opened with a long and creaky sound. They had agreed to wait till the next day, as none of them turned out to be willing to brave the storm that raged outside the apartment, if one could call it that. They had spent the remainder of the day playing cards, which was a human game Magnus had introduced Tara to. He was still amazed at the speed she had learned it, and the fact that she had beaten the crap out of him after only two games. She had even beaten his record of winning in less than half an hour. The game, 'Ruffles' normally took up to an hour to complete, but Tara had either found a way to cheat, or was simply a natural. Somehow, he was glad she had worn the mask, as he doubted there wasn't a smug smile on her face when she slammed down the two kings and queens, winning the game for the third time. After seven games, Magnus simply stopped believing he had a chance, and switched to teaching her 'Poker'. Surprisingly, this game she already knew, and when he had asked, she had told him that her people had something very similar, where they used spare parts and services as bets. Somewhere in his mind, Magnus made a mental note of challenging Tali to a game, that was, if he ever saw her again. That had somehow changed his mood, and Tara hadn't been blind to it. When asked what was wrong, he just replied 'old memories', and refused to speak more. It may, he thought, have been a little harsh, but if he had started explaining, he would eventually come to the part where he served with Shepard, and she would either ask him if he was actually lying to her, tell him that Shepard was a man, or catch on and go insane when she found out his 'secret'. Neither was something he wanted to see happen. So, therefore the silence. Now, Tara had taken him to the industrial docks on Nos Astra, not wanting to tell him what the hell they were doing there. She had just activated some kind of electronic lock with her Omni-tool, and the large gate was slowly opening, making a loud creaking that surely every single being with the ability of hearing would notice. When the gate opened, and the lights flickered on, he was to put it mildly, pretty much taken aback at what he saw;

"By… by Thor…" Was all he could manage to stutter, as his eyes fell on the content of the large room. In front of him, positioned on six large and strong metal legs, a ship was waiting. While he could only see the silhouette, as the lamps had yet to fill the room with light, so he was even more amazed when the lights finally came to.

"Well…?

"Tara… what… exactly is this?"

"It's a class 2-7 'small' cargofreighter-CF24." She said calmly, walking towards the large ship in a slow pace; "It has the capability to haul up to 9 tons of cargo, or the equivalent in passengers.

"So… this was… you… just how much did this thing cost?"

"Five million credits." She said, almost sounding a bit embarrassed. The number almost made Magnus faint, though his body settled with a cough.

"Fi- five mi-million credits?" He spluttered, but quickly held his mouth, as he realized Tara had actually been watching him for a reaction.

"Sorry… but... What will you even use it for? I mean, even the smallest freighter requires a crew… and you're just… well, you… not that I doubt you can fly it, not at all… but… well, it still looks like it needs some repairs. You know, before it's space worthy." That was true. The hull was littered with scrapes and places where the plating had started to rust or fall off, and there were, as far as he could see, cracks in the windows on the bridge. Still, he would need to look on the inside for a full overview. There, he stopped himself. _Why should she even let me aboard? For all she knows, I could be useless with tech… not that I am, but… _

"Well, I bought it because I figured there would be work for someone with a freighter. You know, to haul goods and such. Then, when I had earned enough, I could buy a second one and take them both back to te fleet."

"Two new ships? Well, I'll give you that Tara: You sure as hell know how to impress. You've certainly got me on my ass here…" Had he know about, or seen the blush that crept up on Tara's cheeks, Magnus would probably have been more careful with what he said, but as it was, he didn't suspect a thing.

"Y-Yes… I thought they could secure me a spot on a ship… as a valued crewmember. I mean, all Quarians are valued, but for someone to bring a new pair of ships… that would, or should earn me a place on the best ship of them all."

"Which one?" Magnus asked, curious to learn more about the Quarians and their fleet. Sure, Tali had been bursting to tell and teach, but there was only so much one could learn from one person. Perspective always helped.

"It's funny. You ask as if you expect to know the ship, or even its captain. Of course, you would not, but it is still funny."

"Come on, try me. I've known a few Quarians, I might know the ship, _and _the captain." The last sentence was said while he leaned in, giving her a smug smile.

"Fine, if you insist on embarrassing yourself, then the ship is called the _Rayya_. Now, tell me the name of her captain, and I'll let you know the name of the freighter when it's done, and you might just get to help me repair it... if you don't suck with a hammer that is." Magnus had difficulty moving for some time, let alone speak. _She… is letting me… only if I guess correctly of course, but… man… and we have to fix it first… but… Crap, that means I have to ask her now, before I get myself involved in something…_ he thought, as his fingers automatically started rubbing his growing facial hair. That also, in the deep of his mind, reminded him to get a shave. Blond was a wrong color for a beard.

"Okay, but before I answer the question, I have to conditions." He said, catching Tara off guard as she had started inspecting the hull, noting the places that needed repair. She obviously hadn't expected him to actually be going to answer her question. Because, how could he?

"Sure… what are they?"

"First, when I have answered your question, you must answer one I give you. No matter how silly or odd it might seem, okay?"

"I guess… what's the second condition?" Tara asked, a gnawing feeling of uneasiness creeping up on her. It was, to her, like Magnus was about to ask her something that could mean the difference between life and death for him. In truth, she wasn't that far off.

"That's another question. It will depend on the answer of the first one. 'Sounds okay?" He asked. She could really only nod.

"Alright… and I'm not cheating or anything, you can check me for bugs later. The name of the captain on the Rayya is… Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya. Did I get it right?" It was good that he could not see Tara's face, given the fact that she looked like he had told her he had just made a truce with the geth on her behalf, or even shed his own skin to reveal a Salarian underneath. There was a minute or so of awkward silence where none of them spoke. Her, because she could not, and he because he dared not. Finally, he broke the silence;

"Eh… Tara?"

"How did… who exactly told you that?" Tara almost shouted. For Quarians, giving out information like that was only for those the fleet could consider to be trusted, which sadly, wasn't a lot of people. Backing up, Magnus instantly held up his hands in some sort of protection, should Tara try to… he didn't really know, but the first time he had met Tali, she had dropkicked him to the ground in one move. Not something he desired to repeat.

"The Quarian I worked with. She was from the Rayya herself."

"Still… that kind of information is… not something we usually give to our coworkers. How well did you know her?" For some reason, Tara was beginning to suspect that Magnus had been with more than just Jane, though she could not fit it in, unless he was a polygamist. In which case she would throw him off the ship, even before it had been repaired. She had been told several times to be more open-minded towards such cultural differences, as it happened that some races practiced different mating-traditions than the Quarians.

"How well I… What? Tara… I hope you aren't implying that I would ever _cheat_ on Jane!? For your information, Tali was like a sister to me, not that other…" He stopped talking as he realized he had just slipped up, mentioning Tali by name. _Fjandinn!_ He cursed to himself, as he looked at Tara. She looked, or the way she held herself, looked like she was in some kind of surprised condition, to put it mildly.

"Sorry… shouldn't have shouted like that…" He said, wringing his neck with the intact hand. The left one still hurt too much when he used it. He could feel the gnawing pit in his body shout at him, yelling that he just fucked up with the first person to help him.

"It's okay, but… Tali? As in, and I realize she is not, and that this is a stupid question, but… as in Tali'Zorah? The daughter of Admiral Rael'Zorah?" Now, this was _exactly_ the scene he had wanted to avoid. He had no way of proving it, and even if he could find her, she probably wouldn't know him. _Double Fjandinn!_.

"Eh… probably not… she was just… I can't remember her last name, though it _did_ start with 'Zo' or 'so', but I don't think she was the daughter of an admiral…" He said. Truthfully, he knew full well that Tali hhad been the only child of the Quarian Admiral in mention, and that she didn't have the most fluid relationship with her father.

"Oh… still, it would be a crazy coincidence if she had been, right?" Tara said, her voice returning to normal levels. Magnus thanked the Gods, as there was only one thing that sounded worse than a singing Quarian, and that was a screaming Quarian. At least, that's how it sounded when they were speaking through those voice-emitters. He had yet to hear what a Quarian sounded like without the mask on. And he was as likely to experience that, as to see Jane waltz around the corner with Saren's head in her hands.

"Now for my question…" Magnus said, considering each word he was about to utter, even though he would probably mess it up anyway.

"Sure… shoot." Tara said in her normal voice.

"What does the name 'Commander Shepard' mean to you?"

* * *

**A/N**

**And that's it for tonight folks. I wanted to use the time Thomas was spending in the hospital, for something more constructive than having an hour-long conversation. So, I figured I would give you some insider on the other guys on the crew, even Magnus Olafur, though he isn't exactly "crew" in this dimension... you know what I mean. **

**So please refrain from tearing me apart with "Oh you suck!" or "This is inconsistant" or however the heck that word is actually spelled. Eng isn't my first language (Surprise, as I'm a Dane), so I may have some grammatical bloopers from time to time. Wouldn't it be funny if that very sentense held the most errors I have yet to make?**

**And don't worry, we'll get back to our own favorite confused and needle-scared Dane right away... well, in the next chapter, I mean.**

**till then, Adios!**


	19. Of things not lost

**A/N:**

**Alright, so this one took some... soul-searching to write, but I think I got it pretty well nailed down. **

**Some people have been a little annoyed that I spent most of the last chapter focusing on the other characters, and I'm okay with that. But, it is my opinion that even more or less known/important people such as Delta-squad or Jane (Especially Jane) requires a bit more attention than what they simply get when speaking to the maincharacter. So, forgive me, but I think there will be chapters such as that once in a while. Buut, this is not one of them. **

**Enjoy (And you better. It's 00:54 here, and I stayed up to finish this to give you great guys and girls some morning reading, or noon... or whereever you are) but, enjoy :)**

* * *

Of things not lost.

October 1st . Huerta Memorial Hospital. Citadel.

_13:38_

"Hey Doc?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you think you'll be done anytime soon? I kinda wanna get out of here…" I say, looking at Emhart messing around with some sort of hatch in my arm. _God, it looks strange…_ Why did he have to make that kind of Luke-Skywalker thing? I thought it would be just like a normal arm, well, that and the fact that it should be strong enough to punch Wrex… not that I would survive doing so, but still… Man, I do wonder if I could accidentally break Nic's arm with this thing.

"Well, that depends if you want it to fall off the first time you lift something heavier than twenty kilos, or if you want to keep it in one piece? If so, let me do this. I am, I should think, the one in this bloody hospital with the most insight on your case." We'll, can't argue with that. Still…

"Ehm… Doc, about the whole 'Cancer-and-brain stuff… I am not a doc, or even vet or something… but usually, when there is a case of… whatever it's called when someone is brain-dead… doesn't that usually imply some sort of neurological damage or mental trauma?" I ask, looking at the Emhart whose eyes flicker for a second, before he puts down some sort of curved tool, placing it on the small metal-trolley next to him. Getting up from his position on his knees, he goes to the sink, proceeding to wash off some kind of white grime that, frankly, I don't even wanna know what is. It sure as hell doesn't smell of roses.

"Well… yes. There were some… abnormalities, but nothing serious. Most of it belongs in the 'I'm gonna resign because of this shit' sector. See, whatever happened to you, and I have no idea as we haven't been able to find anything but the record the medical facilities on Eden Prime kept, it did something to you…" He says, tapping his temple with a finger; "In there…" I can already feel the gnawing pit of worry form again. _Fuck, why can't he just get to the point?_

"What happened?"

"Well… I would probably be laughed out of every single medicinal lounge and circle, not to mention lose my job if I ever said these words outside this room… then again, so would whoever claimed to have reawakened a brain-dead guy with electroshock, so I take my chances, and cut to the chase… You're an autistic now."

For a moment, I don't think I fully understand just what the hell he is saying. _Autistic… what the fuck is that?_

"Meaning?" I say, making circles in the air with my right hand.

"Well, autistics are when a certain part, or sometimes certain parts of one's brain kinda experiences a malfunction, and the person develops a more different sort of personality than his normal fellow people. As far as I know, only humans and Salarians can be born with this… which is kinda the point. You are _born_ with this thing. According to the scans from both the Medicinal Facility on Eden, and the sick-bay officer on the Normandy… Chakwas, I think her name was, both times there was nothing in the scans to suggest that was the case with you… which is why it should not be possible. Are you following so far?" _Am I following? Am I- what the fu- how can people contract something you're born with?_ For some minutes, I just sit there, left arm strapped in, right dangling down my side. and I just move my mouth, open and close it. Nothing comes out.

"What- how… what would that… what would this mean to me? I mean… am I going to, I don't know, die from it? Go insane?"

"God, no! At least, then you should be the first documented case of such a thing happening. Then again, given the circumstances, that might not be the best words here… what autism does varies. Sometimes, one is a drooling imbecile, and that's usually the worst cases. Other times, it makes it more difficult for a person to form bonds, connect and feel empathy. Again, you did not seem to lack that when I woke you up… ever had problems with incoherent speech?"

"Only when on drugs… I mean when I woke up on Eden Prime… and then the doctors had me on drugs."

"I see… well, do you have problems with lack of self-restraint? You know, like sudden outburst of anger, rage or violence?"

"Not that I know of, no…"

"How about a complete lack of fear? I mean, lack of fear in the face of certain death or enemies?"

"Perhaps… I don't remember being that scared on Therum… and that was nasty."

"I can imagine… geth are not the most humane enemies…" _Oh Doc, if only it had been geth…_

"So… what exactly is the diagnose?"

"Too early to say… we just know that the brain patterns are similar to those of an autistic brain… now, sometimes, being autistic is not always a bad thing. As far as I know, Einstein was an autistic, and he was the most brilliant mind in the twentieth century…" This, is where I snap out of it. Being a Dane, this as always been a… touchy area;

"For the love of- Einstein was proven wrong! Niels Bohr was right all along in the quantum-physics department!"

"Hmm… perhaps there is something to the self-restraint part… just kidding, I know Niels Bohr was right. I was just testing. Geez, if there was a proof that Danes were still upset about that, I think you must be it."

"Thanks… still, Einstein was a genius, no argument there… but are you sure he was an autistic?"

"Solid. Got it from a friend of mine, works in the one of the embassies… or, used to…"

"What happened?"

"Ah, he just had enough. It was pretty far back, all the way back to when the Batarians had an embassy on the Citadel. He was getting harassed every day, so one day he… brought a handgun to work, offed the ambassador and took the first shuttle to Eden Prime. You may even have met him… or his family."

"What was the name?"

"Saños, Saños D'nang. He was from South Africa, the way I remember." _The… why does that name sound so familiar?_

"_Bolin D'nang. That guy in the barracks? The only one who didn't try his best to piss you off?"_

"_Riiight… Damn, talk about a small universe… still, I don't think I'll mention him… would probably only give the doc something to worry about, and why I left his friend's son to die…"_

"_Good point…"_

"Hmm… sorry, never met him."

"Huh… a shame, he could really cook up a grill like nobody's business."

There is a moment of silence where none of us speak, and it is kind of awkward. Emhart seems to get the hint, whatever it is, and get's back to work.

_Great… so, I'm mentally retarded now… super._

"Alright kid, I'm gonna have to do something that's gonna hurt like shit, so I'm putting you under, alright?"

"As long as it isn't needles." I say, shrugging. Honestly, I don't mind all the sedation. It may sound weird, but I can actually catch up on all my sleep now. Unless, sedated sleep isn't something that lets you do that. I don't know.

"Well, it is. But, I've already given it to you, while working on the nerves in the leftmost part of the palm."

"For- Godammit Emhart, warn me next time, okay?"

"Yeah, I will… should start to kick in about now anyway…"

"Hmm, yes I do… do feel a bit drowsy… Do I just… do I just lie down, or… what?" _Damn, I have to learn to… stay wa- awake…_

October 2th. Huerta Memorial Hospital. Citadel.

Sometime after 12:00

"So, it works now?" I ask, shifting between looking at Nic and Emhart.

"If it doesn't, I'm bringing you a beer. To date, you've been the most enjoyable patient I've had. The strangest one, granted, but still the most entertaining."

"Oh… thanks. And… eh, you've certainly been the most unusual doctor I've ever met. I still suspect you of being high though, no offence."

"None taken. Actually, I am on drugs for the moment, but not the type you might suspect. I'm ADHD, a mental disturbance, causing irrational behavior in most people. Some get the behavior of a man devoid of fear… Actually, if I paid any attention in History-classes, wasn't there a Danish soldier, a kind of ancient N7, during World War two, a guy called… Lassen, I think it was."

"What? You have actually heard of him?"

"Why is that so strange?"

"Just that… well, Denmark _is_ a small country, and… well, we didn't really have that big an impact in that war… Hell, Hitler took us in under six hours."

"Still, later on, weren't the Danes some of the most feared soldiers in the world? The Vikings in particular?" _Eh? Later on? Sounds like I have to hit Wikipedia again…_

"Oh… yeah, right… had forgotten about those… but… can I soon get out of here?"

"I just need a few more hours to fine-tune this piece of cra- this thing." Emhart says, going over a scan of the arm.

"Fine… so, Nic…" I say, turning towards the now relatively clean guy in the chair. For once, he smells of soap instead of sweat and dirt; "Where is Ash and Tequila? Didn't think you could leave her alone?"

"Nah, I volunteered to stay here while they went to find Jane. I think Tequila was pretty worried she had beaten herself up too much over what happened. Ash just went along to get out of the Hospital. Don't take it personally, but I think we all need to get out from the hospital once in a while. You may only remember a few days, but the rest of us have been here for more than two weeks now. Hell, John and Tali had to convince the clones to leave at all. I don't really understand them though. I mean, it isn't because we know them that well, and still… I wonder if it's something in their training, ya know, that makes them care about their fellow soldiers even though they only known them on a professional basis."

"About the clones… Scorch in particular…" I say, remembering the scene right before the first hallucination.

"What about him? Worried he'll replace Joker on the witty remarks?"

"Oddly enough, I haven't had the chance to speak that much with Joker, so I don't know…"

"Then what is it?"

"Have you noticed something… off, about him?"

"Are you talking about the way he sometimes looks after Liara, or how he somehow always gets nervous when that red guy… Sev, I think, when he does anything even remotely risky?"

"Both actually… but I at least think I know the answer to the last one… I think."

"Hmmm… what do you mean?"

"Eh… Emhart?"

"Yeah, don't mind me. I'm just pretending I'm not here."

"Ehm… no offense, but this thing I'm gonna say, is kinda confidential, so… could you switch off your translator? At least make it unable to pick up Danish?"

"Ah, some bro-on-bro talk? Sure… just let me…" He says, fiddling with the translator in his ear. His is even smaller than mine, not even being visible until he removes it.

"Alright, should be there now… try saying something in Danish."

"Do you understand this?" I ask in Danish. Of course, I have almost constantly been speaking a mix of -English and Danish, but when speaking with Nic, it's just been Danish.

"What? I guess that means it worked. I'll just keep at the work then…" I nod at him, turning back at Nic who gestures for me to continue.

"Well, you never played the game 'Republic Commandoes' did you?"

"Nope, so I'm on pretty low info about those guys."

"Yeah, okay. In the game, in the last mission, the squad was forced to abandon Sev, the red guy, to an almost certain death… and Scorch was pretty torn up about it. Somehow, they must have either found each other again, or they all simply jumped to the same place and time in our… in this universe. My guess is that since Scorch and Sev are pod-brothers, he is now especially protective around him, not willing to risk losing him again."

"So… the big tough commandoes are scared?"

"As I said, it's just my guess."

"And, moving back a bit… have you noticed something about his way of looking at Liara… or rather looking after her?"

"Listen, even if… I did notice something alright, but think about it: He is from a universe where her race doesn't even exist. He could see her like we see a female Salarian… I think."

"Dude, that's weak. Even we find Asari attractive, and they didn't exist in our universe either." Okay, he kinda does have a point there.

"Fine… so what, we're just gonna romance every single person on the Normandy to each other?"

"As insane… and stupid, as that sounds… I think we're pretty well underway."

"Yeah, I am kinda with Ash, John and Tali, perhaps Scorch and Liara but I am still not buying it. Then there's… maybe Kaidan and Jane, or Garrus and Jane? And you seem to have something going with Tequila?"

"What can I say, women can't withstand my charm." He says while giving a real prince-charming kind of smile. The one with just one side of the mouth showing teeth. Still, it looks incredibly stupid on him. I can't help a smile. _What would I do without this silly idiot?_

"Yeah, I noticed that when she kicked you out off the chair."

"Well… I'm just more attractive when I'm awake. That is why she woke me up."

"Suuuure, with a kick."

"What can I say, she is the dominating type." He says, shrugging and keeping that stupid grin on his face.

"Tssssss…. At least she and Ash seem to have that in common." I say, closing my eyes and smiling. Next to me, Emhart is still fidgeting with the arm. It is really weird to be talking like we are, and he can't understand shit of it… or, he is pulling a prank, understanding every word we say, yet pretending not to.

"I wonder, does that make the two of us the wusses in the relationships?"

"I hope not… though I wouldn't be surprised: Ash kicks my ass every time we spar. And Tequila is more a man than you are out there… in the field I mean. I still can't believe you won in that contest the two of you had going."

"The weight-lifting? Yeah, that was pretty rough. I tell you, she can lift like I've never… I wouldn't be surprised if she could at least toss Wrex a few meters, let alone me across the room. What the hell did they teach those USCM-guys?"

"Well, they had to know something to fight the xenos, I guess."

"Yeah, but they weren't trained to fight xenos… at least I don't think so. And you don't just engage a bug in a fistfight. That's when you lose."

"And then you get anally raped with a harpoon-tail… or kissed with a biting tongue…"

"Or have your head ripped of…"

"Or have the throat sliced…"

"Or be forced to feed a face hugger…"

"Or simply be spit at…"

"Spit at?"

"Yeah, some of those nasties have the habit of spitting acid at you… didn't you see those on Therum?"

"Hmmm, might have, though I think I was too busy trying to stay alive to really notice if there were any acid-spitters."

"I guess that's true… oh, by the way, since you don't have an Omni-tool at the moment, I was told to give this message to you… or, not message, but… eh, just read it will you?" He says, handing me a datapad. Seriously, have these things completely replaced paper or what? I take the pad and read it.

"_Hey Thomas. I was doubting whether or not to intrude on the slumber party you guys had last night, so I thought I would send your friend in with this instead. Makes it a bit impersonal, but I need some way to give you this. You see, I was thinking that since you weren't really in any position to order me around, I was going to ask those new guys, the ones in funny armor… Delta's I think you called them, if there was anything they missed from the place they came from, like weapons or dolls… maybe even drinks. Problem is, that one in red armor, doesn't seem to trust me. Okay, so I may have borrowed his gun for a moment, but I was gonna give it back, swear. Anyway, since I can't really get them to talk to me, I was wondering if you could ask them for me… as a favor. Or, actually, it is more of favor to you guys if it turns out to be something really cool they want from their old… place. _

_Just ask them if there is anything they could think of that would be good against this Saren. I don't like him, and if I can help bring him down, then that just means my job got more fun._

_By the way, I heard you got a new arm… and eye. Damn, I'm glad that's not me. I prefer to be one-hundred percent me, thank you very much. Still, I'm impressed they actually gave you a medal. What did you do, kill a million geth by yourself? _

_Hope you will be out of there soon. It gets boring around here when no new people are popping up around you. And you always seem to attract trouble. Did you know C-Sec wants to find you? Am I rubbing off on you or something? _

_Oh, and Keji sends his regards. I haven't told him __**everything, **__but he knows that he is alive because of what you told me, so thanks again._

_K.G"_

"Well… that was… a surprise."

"What does it say?" Nic asks, taking back the datapad.

"Well, read it yourself… I don't really know how to answer that…" I say, looking at him as he skims the text on the device. He then looks at me with a slight frown.

"What?"

"Not bad, not bad at all. You may have saved Keji… there's just one thing that's nagging me…"

"Shoot."

"If Keji wasn't killed by Hock… how is Cerberus going to recruit Kasumi in two years?"

"Eh, I think it's the prospect of the adventure that drew her in… plus the large sum of cash. But I am curious now, as to what her… mission, will be."

"You mean, if there is no gray-box to be retrieved?"

"Bingo…" I say, then noticing that Emhart is standing up, wiping sweat of his chin with a sleeve;

"Alright, time to cut the confident conversation short guys, I'm turning it back on." He says, taking out his translator and pressing something. I guess they are buttons, but I really can't see. How the hell they make something that small usable by fingers, is beyond me.

"So, is the arm ready?" Nic asks, cutting me short. I _was_ going to ask the same question, so it doesn't really matter I guess.

"Should be… at least the mechanisms are working now. We still need to give it a few swings though."

"Well, is there a reason we're not doing this now?" I ask, forming a fist with the synthetic hand.

"You really are an impatient guy, you know that?" Emhart says with a smile, putting away rubber gloves, pincers and other strange tools. I just shrug;

"Hell Doc, you may think of this place as your workplace, but to me, it's just a prison, sort of. I want to get out there again, find some tea, and get me a few beers."

"I'm not much for tea, but I can't argue with wanting a beer. I think Flux is pretty cheap. Well, Cora's Den is too, but there was a shootout there a few weeks back, and it's not yet fully restored… also I think the owner was killed."

"Hmpf, sucks for him." Nic says.

"Yeah, though I'm not shedding any tears. Fist was a dangerous man, and rumor has it, he was killed because he was working for Saren. But you didn't hear it from me, got it?"

"Hear what?" Nicolai says, giving a smug smile.

"Atta boy. Now, let's see if we can't get this piece of taxpayer-money working…" Emhart responds, giving my arm a few taps.

"So, what do I do?" I ask, rolling my new fingers.

"Well, you seem to have a good grasp on the functions. Are there any strains, discomfort and the like when you move it?" I try out a few moves, opening and closing my palm, forming a fist and rolling the fingers. Nothing.

"Nope, nothing at all."

"Well, then why don't you try clapping your hands together?" That was a little weird, but I comply, clapping them together. I can instantly feel the hard-hitting left hand hit the softer right. Also, it doesn't feel like flesh. Or, it does, but there is still something that tells me 'This is artificial' when I do it.

"It feels… it hits hard."

"Too hard? Does it hurt?" Emhart asks, examining my arm with his Omni-tool.

"Not really… what does that VI do, by the way?" I ask, studying my hand a bit closer. I can see some fine thin lines of bluish white under the skin. But even the lines on the palm -the ones those old fortunetellers always say they can see your future in- are there. It's actually pretty cool.

"Well, the VI is there solely to prevent you from ripping off your own arm when in use. It's been standard since a patient lost his shoulder when he lifted an Elcor as part of a bet. Not a pretty sight, let me tell you."

"Cool… so, anything else?"

"Hmm, let's test it more realistic. Start by getting out of bed. Your legs should be healed long ago, but this will also test them."

"YES! So I can finally get out of here?" I say as I almost jump out of the bed. When my feet hit the floor, a small tremor goes through my legs.

"Now, hold your horses. It's been some weeks since you stood yourself, so be a little more careful, will you?" As he speaks, the door opens, and I turn to see Ash coming back into the room. At first, she looks pretty surprised, probably at seeing me out of bed, but the surprise is soon replaced by a smile.

"Hey Ash, look I'm taking my first steps."

"It's nice Thom. Should I get the camera and the scrapbook?" She says chuckling.

"Yeah, and call the neighbor while you're at it. We must share this amazing event with them all."

"I think simply waiting here would be better. Wrex is pretty pissed, and Garrus is still asleep at the couch."

"Figures… why is Wrex pissed _this_ time?"

"Meh, he was just denied entrance to a porcelain shop… something about him and the Krogan version of 'A bull in a porcelain-shop'… or was it an elephant?"

"Why wa he pissed over that?"

"Well, the part that pissed him off was when the owner said something he didn't think Wrex would hear, and suddenly the hole store is a mess."

"Shit! Wrex killed him?"

"No, but he pretty much destroyed the entire place… looks like winter back there… anyway, then C-Sec arrived and tried arresting him, and then John had to jump in, paying for the damages with Alliance funds… let me tell you, he was pissed. Even more pissed than Wrex. I'm still surprised no-one actually _died_ when they started arguing."

"What happened then?"

"Craziest thing… they just went to a bar and had few drinks… even though it was actually more like Wrex had a few barrels, John had a few drinks… Men…"

"Hey, that's generalizing!" Nic says, obviously not happy about being placed in the same box as the four-hundred kilo Krogan in mention.

"Sorry, but… why are you already out of- nah, just what are you doing Thom?" She finally says, eyeing me from top to toe. That's when I realize that I'm not wearing much past a pair of hospital-issued under-garments, and some weird tube feeding out from- _Oh Gods! _Now that I am aware of it, I can feel the tube feeding right into my… I suddenly know why I haven't had to go to the bathroom for so long. _Talos, this is NOT how I wanted to be seen. And certainly not by Ash!_ Luckily, that's the only tube I'm still having inside me, as the rest, both nose and those in my upper right arm, has been removed.

"Eh… I'm just going to… Emhart, what am I going to do?"

"Well, we are going to check some basic functions in a standing position, such as your ability to hold an object, lift a weight and shake a hand without crushing it."

"That sounds easy enough."

"Should be, yes. So, let's starts by testing if you can hold this pad with your left hand. I am well aware that you held one earlier, but that _was_ the right hand. Let's see if we can't have you holding this…" He says, handing me a datapad. I take it with my left hand, being careful not to press too hard, and end up holding it like I would with a normal hand;

"Easy enough… why should this be a test?"

"Well, this was just as much to see if the VI would have you break the pad in half, and I'm glad to observe that it didn't. Now, let's try grapping this rod." He says, handing me a plastic-cylinder. I take it with my right hand, carefully placing it in my left palm. I slowly close my hand around it.

"No sweat. What's next?" I say, tossing the cylinder back to Emhart. He catches it and replaces it with a bigger object, this time a box, about the size of a human head. It's made of cardboard, I think. It looks that way anyway. He hands me the box, and I take it with my right hand again, before taking it with the left, using the 'real' hand as a podium for the box. I instantly realize that I'm pressing too hard, as I make marks in the material. _Guess it is cardboard… who would have thought they were still using that these days?_

"Whoops… I think I may have left some marks in it…" I say, handing it back to Emhart. Well, 'marks' may be an understatement. There are five finger sized holes in the box.

"Hmm… guess that was to be expected. But you just have to train with your hand, make yourself comfortable with it. Would be a shame if you ripped your own dick off when- fuck, sorry… I mean if something bad happened because you are still not used to it."_ For the love of! Ash is in here you- Aaaargghh! _Why does this universe keep insisting on embarrassing me every time it gets the chance?!

Nic is one big grin, practically having to restrain himself by holding his own mouth while he breathes heavily, trying not to snap. _I'm gonna kill you Nic…_

Ash is just palming her face, looking at her own feet while hiding her face with a hand;

"Emhart…"

"Sorry, sorry… sometimes I talk before I think…"

"Well that's an understatement… that was fucking hilarious!" Nicolai finally gets out, not managing to keep the laughter from his voice. I send him a glare.

"Seriously, can we just move on?" Ash finally says, breaking the situation in the room.

"Yeah, yeah I just need two tests, and I can let Thomas out of here… if he passes them that is."

"Fine, what's the next test? The weight?" I say, shifting back to Emhart. He nods, producing a small faintly glowing hand weight. He then hands it to me, leaving it in my right hand.

"It's heavier than it looks like…" I say, placing it in the left hand. Instantly, it feels like there is no weight at all.

"This hardly weighs a thing Doc… anything heavier?" I say, moving to return the weight. He shakes his head, activating his tool;

"Oh, that is just the beginning. This weight is a Andáre Cixion variant. It consists of an Element Zero core, just a tiny one, that allows for the change of its own mass. I am now going to increase the mass." And while he is talking, he presses some… buttons I guess, on his Omni-tool, causing the weight to glow brighter.

"Cool" I say, eyeing the glowing gadget. It slowly becomes heavier, until I actually have to consciously hold it up.

"How is it now?"

"Well, it's heavier, that's for sure. What's the weight?"

"Around forty kilos. You're making good progress."

"So, do we just continue till my arm snaps or…?"

"No, we'll just take it up to fifty, then we'll stop."

"So, when is fifty?"

"Well I'm constantly increasing the weight, so it will be in… about… right about… almost there… about…now. Alright, I've stopped the increase. Does it feel okay?" I test the arm, feeling how the artificial muscles are working hard to keep up with the weight. It feels surprisingly good.

"I'm good. I mean, it is a little strange, but I can hold it up."

"Good. I'm going to decrease the mass again, and then we'll have a short break not to strain the VI at the first opportunity, and then we'll move on to the more subtle acts of physical social graces."

"You mean handshakes, right?"

"That's one of them. But the rest… are not for you and _me_ to perform and test." Okay, I am more and more certain that this guy is high… no, wait he is ADHD… that was that mental disorder, right?

"_Sure is."_

"_Roku. What is all this with me being an autistic?"_

"_Nothing of importance. You can't __**get**__ autism, it's something you are born with. He has probably just found the brainwaves I emit, being in your head and all."_

"_So… I'm not autistic?"_

"_If that was the case, I wouldn't be very good at my job. That would be something I would have discovered by now."_

"_So I'm okay?"_

"_Well aside from the new arm, eye and having me inside your head, the occasional hallucination and nightmare, the sick addition to tea… remember the last time things went… bad, when were in a tea-store? Then, there is your lack of restraint… sure, you're in tip-top shape."_

"_That was sarcastic, wasn't it?" _I ask, turning my hand in the air, looking at the way it reflects the light while Nic and Ash are discussing something with Emhart. And for some strange reason, I can hear that odd hum again. The funny thing is, this time it didn't start with the "emergence" of Roku. It just… started.

"_Hey Roku…"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_That humming, you know, almost a buzzing sound really… is that you?"_

"_What hum?"_

"_Come again?"_

"_What hum? I'm not hearing anything…"_ Okay, while that _is_ strange, it could just as well be my imagination messing with me. I shrug, turning back my attention to the people in front of me.

"Hey Doc, can we get this over with? I need a beer… and some tea." Roku just reminded me, but for some reason, he doesn't seem to share my enthusiasm towards it.

"Sure, I think the break has lasted long enough anyway. Now, get over here and… take my hand." He says, holding out a hand ready for a handshake. I comply, moving towards him on somewhat unstable legs.

"I think he looks a bit… unstable, don't you Ash?" I hear Nicolai say.

"Yeah, but that's perfectly normal. He did just spend more than two weeks in a bed. He just needs to move again. That is why I'm…" For some reason, Ash lowers her voice so that I can't hear her. I have this gnawing feeling that she is going to put me through some hardass retraining course when I get out of here.

"So…" I ask, while moving towards Emhart, leaning on the bed for support some of the way; "Who else visited me while I've been here?" I finish, looking at Nic and Ash sitting in his chair and she, leaning against the back of it.

"A few people. Garrus and The clones were here, but they left when Tequila came back… I think there may still be some bad air between them, the clone and Tequila. Wasn't there something about a movie?"

"Yeah, I think she is still pretty pissed over it…" I say as I reach Emhart. He doesn't seem to notice that we're discussing clones. Hell, he has probably hear weirder stuff in his carrier.

"Alright Fisher, I need you to take my hand now." I do as he says, wrapping my hand over his in the old-fashioned handshake.

"Good, not to strong, yet strong enough so that the other can feel it… It does seem like you have adapted to your prosthesis rather quickly. I would even say remarkably so. It takes most people weeks to be able to control the new limps in the way you have learned in two days." My eye starts itching, the new one that is, and I take the original hand to scratch it. _Old habits die hard they say, even the bad ones._

"Ehm yeah, I probably wouldn't do that Fisher, scratching your new eye. It's simply your body net yet being used to the new part. Try to leave it alone for a few days, and the itching should disappear." Emhart says, causing me to realize what I'm actually doing. I take the hand down, feeling my ears go red, or how the hell I'm going to describe it. I can't tell what it _looks_ like, but it _feels_ like my ears are very hot. Therefore I assume they are red as well.

"Sorry… but ehm… what now?" I ask, looking back at the doctor.

"Well, now is the point in our conversation where I hand you this…" He says, producing what looks like a small bottle of lotion, as well as a message sent to Ash's Omni-tool. It beeps, alerting her to a message;

"Well, for obvious reasons you do not have a tool for the time being, so I sent my extra-net address to your present superior officer, Chief Williams, and if there are any problems, she will have my address. And, now comes the saddest part of the job…" He says, wiping an imaginary, I think, tear from his eye.

"Which is?"

"The point where I tell you that I've also just released you from my custody, and the point where I ask you, 'what are you still doing here?'… So, get out of here… and remember to put on your clothes before you leave. They will be brought here right away." His words leaves me with a smile. _Hell, for a doctor, he is an okay guy…_

A nurse soon enters, carrying a bunch of neatly folded clothes. She averts her eyes, probably not wanting to stare at my… to look at me. _Thank God and the nine divines I'm not having a boner right now… when I'm only wearing my underpants… which aren't even mine… damn, how am I gonna change with these people in here? I mean, Emhart is a doctor, hell he has probably been the one to… insert the tube to begin with, and Nic has seen me when we went to the swim-club together… but Ash is in here as well… Dammit, this would be the worst time to have an erection! I need some privacy to get changed._

"So… can you guys get out of here while I change? No offence, but it feels kinda awkward with you in here…"

"Sure, we'll just wait outside." Nic says, getting up from his chair. Ash leaves as well, but Emhart isn't moving.

"Ehm… Doc, some privacy?" I say, in perhaps a bit too annoyed tone. Hell, the guy has probably saved my life, so I'm not trying to be a douche to him or anything, but… well, it just feels weird.

"Sorry Fisher, but until you have left this building, you are still my responsibility. So, I have to stay here. But don't worry, I'm just gonna turn my back to ye, and you just tell me when to look again."

"Okay…"

Ten minutes later I finally step out the door, wearing my uniform, seeing Nic and Ash sitting in a pair of cushioned chair across the hallway.

"Man, now I need to find a tea-store." I say, stretching my arms and arching my entire body backwards, brining it close to the snapping-point. Nic gets up and throws his arms into the air;

"As long as what happened last time doesn't repeat itself… God, that was embarrassing!" He says, covering his eyes with a hand for emphasis. Ash looks between us, a rather confused look on her face;

"Why, what happened last time he was in a tea-store?" She says, looking at Nic. I immediately shoot a pointed finger at him;

"Don't! Don't you dare tell her!" I almost shout, but I manage to keep it to a raised tone. I do _not_ need Ash knowing about that… that episode. _Gods that was the last time I was allowed in there…_

* * *

Illium.

"What does the name 'Commander Shepard' mean to you?" Magnus asked, looking Tara straight in the eyes.

Even though she was wearing a faceplate, something that had always been an obstacle in conversations, Magnus was looking right through it, as if her face was completely unobstructed. These both made her feel exposed, vulnerable, as the visor had always been some sort of personal shielding from the outside world, as well as making her feel… acknowledged. She knew that he acknowledged her, saw her as a person, not just as a Quarian. Still, she could tell that there was some other reason for his question, than simple curiosity. His eyes were a giveaway. They were practically radiating desperation, anxiousness, even fear. _Fear… he showed no fear when taking on that gang, and he nearly lost his life due to it… what is bothering him?_ His hands were trembling, as she had seen once with a crewmember whose bond mate had been taken by pirates. She had only been a little girl back then, but the signs were not something you just forget. His hands were trembling, to the point where he actually had to grasp them behind his back to keep them from flailing about. She could, even though she hadn't turned her auditory sensors up, hear his heavy breathing. He was scared. It was as simple as that, but it was still a strange thing to see him that way. Tara hadn't known Magnus for more than a week and a half… two weeks, if she counted in the days where he had been unconscious. _But… why would he ask about that? I thought John'Shepard was famous even among humans?_ All these thoughts were going through her mind as she looked at the man in front of her.

"That's a… strange question Magnus." She said, not fully understanding his motives. It wasn't as if he could be related to Shepard, him being a human and all. Still, she found herself curious. And a bit worried.

"Just… Please just answer me Tara. I know it may seem like a strange question, but… Hmpf, the worst part is, I can't even explain why I need to know it…"

"Why not?"

"It's… please don't take this the wrong way, but you wouldn't understand…" He said, sadness evident in his voice, along with clear signs of desperation showing. His breathing grew faster, and his mouth, the side with the stitches, started making small contractions.

_Is he… going to do something? I mean, something dangerous? _She asked herself, looking at him. Without fully realizing it, Tara had taken a few slow steps backwards, creating some distance between them. Realizing this, she felt ashamed that she was afraid of him, or the fact that he might do something. _If he wanted to hurt you, he would have done so long ago girl… just answer his question so you can get on with this._ Her mind told her, arguing with the small voice that told her to run for her life. As she had done when he had defended her. As she had always done.

"If I answer that question, do you promise to calm down?" She said cautiously, not wanting to cause him to lose it. He bit his lip, nodding.

"Well… I am not sure why you want to know… or exactly _what_ you want to know, given that you just asked what Shepard means to _me_… but... I guess to me he represents hope… or perhaps he represents the fact that all Quarians can make a future, not having to slave for the other races, or waiting to die due to a broken down filter, but… I just guess the name John'Shepard makes me proud of, well of being a Quarian… that's also why I wanted to join the Rayya… where Shepard was… Magnus, you don't look so… are you okay?" She asked, cutting off her own voice as she could see him cringing where he stood. His body began to tremble, as if he was about to have a seizure, or as if he was going to cry.

"I… I need some air!" He said, as he all but fled the room.

_What did I say wrong?_ Was all she managed to think before she could only watch as he stormed out, leaving her alone with the pile of rust she had been so focused on for so many days.

As she finally regained the ability to move and speak, she laid her eyes on a bucket of steel-gray spray-on paint, and sent it flying through the room with a powerful kick. The silence was broken yet again when the bucket hit the far wall, spraying its content on the rough surface of the metal, instead of being used on the ship. Oddly enough, the paint was the exact same color as the wall, so one could hardly see it.

_At least I won't be forced to clean thát up… no one will notice…_ She thought, somehow managing a smile that came more from the ridiculousness of the whole situation than from something that was actually funny.

Slumping down next to the ship, she hung her head, burying her faceplate in her hands, sighing so loudly that she thought for sure people in the adjacent rooms would hear her. Not that she really cared.

"_Kazuat… I'm not really good at this. Now I've probably ruined my chances with… no, stop thinking like that! something you said tore him up, and you are just sitting here? Still, what am I supposed to do? Just follow him? Even though it couldn't- no, I can't… I mean, he doesn't want to be followed… and you are just going to abide by that, are you girl? You sicken me! So you just want me to go after him? What if… no! I have to go check on him! If he sends me away, then to fre'eg with it!"_ She thought, finally having convinced herself to get up and after him. To compensate for the fact that she had been alone and on her own for more than three years, Tara had picked up the habit of talking to herself, as if to gain a different input. In truth, it was because she had not dealt with the solitude as well as one could have hoped.

She began walking towards the door, but before he had even covered five meters, she was running as fast as she could.

…

"I… I need some air!" Magnus finally got out. He could feel the lump in his throat pressing on, and there was no way he could prevent it from erupting. Having finally gained enough control, he turned and fled the room, tears beginning to stream down his face.

As he ran up the stairs, not bothering with even looking after an elevator, his mind went racing on ahead, conjuring all of his worst fears. The fears Tara had just confirmed were real.

_Jane! _

_Jane why the fuck?!_

_Why the fuck did this have to happen?!_

_Why?_

_What did I ever do wrong?!_

_Someone, tell me! _

_What did I do to deserve this?!_

_Why me? Why us? Why the fucking hell couldn't that fuckhead have killed someone else?!_

_It's not fair… IT'S NOT FAIR!_ He silently screamed as he stumbled up the stairs, barging into several people on his way up, completely ignoring their angry shouts and threats.

He finally rounded the last set of stairs, and found himself starring at the skyline of Nos Astra, the hell-hole of an Asari-run city that had been his prison for the last two months. He could feel the cold wind hit his face, causing the hair on his neck to stand, and his body to shudder. The words Tara had spoken constantly played in his head, over and over.

"…_to me he represents hope…"_

"…_guess the name John'Shepard…"_

"_He represents hope…"_

"_John'Shepard"_

"_**He**__ represents hope…"_

"_**John'Shepard**__"_

"_John'Shepard"_

"_JOHN'SHEPARD"_

"_John'Shepard"_

That was the word that stung the most. There was no longer any chance, any hope left, for him to find Jane again. Even if he were to find and board the Normandy, he would find a Quarian steering her.

_A fucking Quarian!_

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, deep inside, something snapped. A part of him that had been keeping him relatively sane from the very beginning of his time in this place. It had been long coming, but finally, with the revelation that he would never see _her_ again, that last bridge to sanity collapsed, disappearing in the vast schism of his chaotic mind.

_She's gone… she's really gone… She's gone…_ Were the only thoughts running through his mind as he slowly stepped one foot on the low wall keeping people from falling to their deaths on the planet's surface kilometers below. Tears were filling his eyes, obstructing his vision.

Taking the other foot over as well, he now sat on the railing, with only the small amount of balance he cared to manage keeping him from instantly sliding.

_At least… now… Jane… I'm coming…_ He thought, as he let go, releasing the hold he had kept on the wall and closed his eyes.

"HOLY HELL NO! SOMEONE GIVE ME A HAND HERE!" A voice shouted. Magnus felt a stinging pain surge through him as strong hands grabbed his shirt-neck, pulling him upwards and away from the release he longed for.

"I SAID GIVE ME A HAND! THIS CRAZY FUCKER JUST TRIED JUMPING!" the same voice again, Batarian by the sound of it. Even with all the pain, thoughts and emotions going through him, Magnus couldn't help but see the irony of being "rescued" by a Batarian. More hands came to, and Magnus could see his escape disappear with every centimeter he was heaved back. Shouting had broken out on the Vista, and he could even faintly hear the sound of pictures being taken. _Just let go of me you assholes… why can't you just let me go to her?_

"The hell was he thinking?"

"Christ! That was some fucking good timing there mate!"

"Holy shit, get him up!" Multiple voices were shouting over each other, merging to a mess of incoherent noise. He was now being hefted over the wall, strong hands not wanting to let him go. He landed on the ground with a heavy thud, as he was still being held down. _No! I have… I have to go to her!_ He thought, only then realizing that he had been screaming it out loud.

"The hell you do!" The same voice from before shouted.

"Spirits man, what the human hell was that for?!" He could hear a Turian shout.

"We're not letting go of you. Stay down till help arrives." A woman said.

Then there was one voice, a voice he actually recognized;

"What happened he- Magnus?! What happened? Was he attacked?" He could hear the synthesized voice of Tara through the crowd. _Why did she follow me? _

"What happened? That crazy SOB tried jumping the wall. He would have taken a direct dive if _he_ hadn't seen him in time and grabbed him. Why, you know this crazy bastard?"

…

When Tara had followed Magnus, she had simply needed to follow the trail of upset citizens arguing or grumbling about some lousy human who didn't watch where he was trashing through, stepping on people's feet, barging in to them. What Tara hadn't been expecting, was to find a small crowd gathered right outside where the stairs ended. At first, she thought they had gathered to watch the skyline, or perhaps they were all a group waiting to go down. That was when she realized the group was centered around a person lying on the ground.

"What happened he- Magnus?! What happened? Was he attacked?" She suddenly realized that the person who was being held down, restrained actually, was Magnus. She had just asked her question to no one in particular, but a human man, in what Tara guessed was his middle ages, turned to face her;

"What happened? That crazy SOB tried jumping the wall. He would have taken a direct dive if _he_ hadn't seen him in time and grabbed him. Why, you know this crazy bastard?" His words were hard, but there was also fear in them. It was obvious that he was not used to- _Jumping the wall!? Why the Keelah would he- this is probably all my fault!_ She almost screamed at herself.

As insane as it sounded, Magnus had just tried to kill himself, most likely because of something she had said. There had definitely been a reaction when Tara had mentioned how Shepard represented hope to her. But she had just been telling the truth, and Magnus hadn't struck her as being a racist or anything… and not insane either. Yet, there was something, lots of things actually, that didn't make sense as she looked through the crowd and caught a glimpse of the young man being held down, while some people were even taking pictures and filming it. _Why would he react in that way? Why not tell me why he- why could he not handle me speaking like I- is he ill?_

"Yes. Yes I know him. He… we live together. I have been taking care of him since he was… since he got hurt by some bad people. Can you let me through to him?" She pleaded. The man seemed hesitant at first, but he eventually nodded;

"Alright, I'll see if I can't.. alright, those just filming and taking pics: Get the fuck out of here!" He roared. His voice so powerful that Tara for a moment feared for her auditory sensors. When he had finished, everyone, even those restraining Magnus went quiet, and for a moment, the only sound one could hear were the quiet sobs coming from the man on the ground. Slowly, a big portion of the crowd backed away and eventually left. However, it was more than likely that this was because they had already taken all the pictures they wanted, and just saw the reason in leaving when the big guy had started shouting. After a bit of shuffling, followed by more words from the man, this time more obscene, the crowd piled out, leaving only the three humans, the Batarian who was apparently the one responsible for Magnus not being a blob on the surface, and a Turian. The Batarian, the Turian and two humans, a man and a woman, were busy making sure that the guy on the ground would not be able to harm himself. The Turian was busy searching for any sharp objects the man might have, as well as anything else he could use to commit suicide. Robes, poison, pieces of glass, everything. When the last of the audience had left the scene, the man turned back to Tara;

"There… if you know him, try go talk to him. Perhaps you can get him to calm down a bit." The man said, gesturing at the other human on the ground, currently still vaguely resisting their grasp, although he was remarkably more still than he had been when Tara had seen him first. Slowly, she made her way towards the group, almost ashamed of barging in, as if she interrupted some sort of important meeting. When she approached the group, she knelt down next to them, almost too scared to speak. She didn't have to though, as the Turian in the group turned his head towards her;

"A Quarian? What are you doing here girl? I thought he just said for the audience to buzz off." He said, a faint degree of resentment in his voice. Somehow, this triggered Tara into speaking;

"I am not 'audience'! I'm his- we live together! I want to speak to him, he will probably be calmer if you just let me talk to him. Please?" She went from almost shouting to a careful whisper, emphasizing the 'please'.

"Come here girl." The human woman said, a distinctly different tone in her voice;" I think it would be a good idea if it is someone he knows." She was the one holding down Magnus's left arm, and she was actually being careful not to touch the damaged part of his hand.

Tara made her way around them, so that she was kneeling in front of Magnus, lying on his belly. She nodded to the people holding him down, and they slowly let go of him, ready to grab him again, should he try jumping again. Without really knowing what she was doing, Tare placed her hands on his shoulders, gently lifting him up so that he was halfway sitting on his knees, using his hands for support on the metal floor. She could see a small pool of water and a bit of… stomach-contents had already formed beneath him, leading her to the realization that he had even been throwing up, not just crying over something.

"Magnus?" She asked, almost whispering as if she was afraid of anyone hearing her. He didn't respond, just kept looking at the floor, tremors constantly shaking him.

"Magnus, can you… hear me?" She asked, her voice a bit higher this time. He didn't look up this time either, but his breathing changed.

"Gone… she's… gone…" his voice came out as a whisper, almost too faint for her to pick it up, and it didn't look as if the others had at all. _Gone? Who is gone? Jane? Me? His mother? Who is he talking about?_ She thought as she looked at his bend over form.

"Magnus… why did you do…this?" She asked in a soft voice.

"She's gone… she- she's gone…" his words were starting to come out as a desperate laughter, and it left Tara a bit scared. She knew some people started laughing when they reached a certain point or stage in their grief, but she did not know what had suddenly triggered this in him.

"Magnus, who is gone?" She asked, cursing herself for not being able to pick up whatever he was talking about.

"She is gone… my… my lo- she's gone…" He was borderline chuckling now, following every word with a pained, yet low laugh.

"Magnus, help me here! Who is-" She started, then bid her tongue as she realized she had been almost shouting at him. _Please help me here, ancestors help me._ She prayed as she tried again;

"Magnus… please, who is it? who is gone?" She asked, placing her hands on his cheeks, avoiding the part where it had been cut open. She was not aware that she did this before he shook them off. Finally, he lifted his head with a desperate laughter that cut in her heart. It contained so much pain and grief that she herself was close to tears. As she could finally see his face again, she was mortified at how pale he was, how destroyed he was. His face was one big mess, eyes red with grief, and cheeks wet with tears, as well as nose fluids that had seeped down his lips and was now dripping on the floor along with his tears. He had the face of a _Felz'elt_, a person who has lost his or her life-mate.

"Ja- Jane… she is gone now… truly gone. I'll… I'll… I'll never see… see her again… why couldn't you just have let me join her?" He stuttered, a series of small chuckles escaping him; I… would have just slipped down… gone back to her world… I… could have joined her… watched over… over her. It… it sounds… stupid, I… I know… but… I had the… fool's notion, that… she would still… be here…" He said as his breath became faster and faster. Tara didn't know what to make of his words, nor did she have the chance to think about it, as he simply collapsed on the floor.

"Ma… Magnus?" Tara stuttered, starring at his limp form.

"Hyperventilation… don't worry lass, he'll awake in a few hours…" a voice said, but Tara didn't pay it any attention. She didn't pay it any attention either when the sound of sirens closed in on where they were sitting.

* * *

**Alright... so, that is not exactly a good thing... unless you redefine the meaning of good. A suicide attempt... the people in my story somehow seems prone to those, don't they? Don't blame me though, it's just how they are.**

**I'm a bit... not concerned, but curious whether this was a good way to end a chapter, but if not, please refrain from tearing me apart, and simply tell me with polite words... and some tea, if you happen to have that. **

**Till next time. I have a feeling we shall soon meet this so-called councilor, and... I don't know, perhaps get that medal?**


	20. Divine intervention

**Alright guys, next chapter is out. Or, of course you already know that, if not, how the hell did you find this thing? Gaah, nevermind, my mind is over-taxed at the moment, trying to figure out whether to drop dead on my desk, or give me enough time to post this chapter and walk the painstalkingly long two meters to my bed.**

**Anyway, I have actually made a poll now, as insane as it sounds, and it would be great if you would spare a minute or two, going to my profile and answer it. It is quite important to the story. Also, I would like to thank Exar Kun IV for the input he provided to this chapter. The 'Divine Wind' is his idea. Thanks mate!**

**Anyway, again, I have decided to make this... oh, I'll just let you find out for yourselves.**

**Enjoy **

* * *

Divine intervention

"So… where is this place exactly?" Ash asks, looking around the maze of walkways that is the center of the Presidium.

"Beats me, I could never find my way in this place before, and I'm the one supposed to know everything." I say, following her gaze as I attempt to see what's at the end of the long ring that stretches to our sides. I swear, it's freaky when you think about it. there could be someone on the other side of that ring, standing heads-down and feet up, looking down at us… or perhaps up at us… damn, my head hurts just by thinking about this.

"Well not _everything_. You didn't know that John would be a Quarian, that's one thing, and you had no idea the Thorian would be there… Damn, you really scared me there Thom." Ash says, turning to look at me. I'm glad she is smiling again, not the destroyed face of fear and grief she usually has when I wake from some near-death encounter. _Now that I think of it, why the hell am I the one with all the close calls?_

"Sorry Ash… it's not really something I control. But, at least I will have some awesome stories for my grandchildren when I grow old, no?" I say, looking at her with a grin. I don't realize what I said, or more accurately, the meaning of what I said, until I see her face turn tomato-colored by my words. _Aw fuck… what did I say now?_

"_I believe you mentioned grandchildren, therefore also having children. As Ashley is your current love affair, she might believe that you voiced a wish for her to become the mother of your children."_

"_Holy- I mean… it's not that… I mean, I guess she would be… I… Ehm… I mean… wait a second, I thought you were locked out of those thoughts."_

"_I… may have been forced to draw on some available resources to keep your body in working order… one of those was the energy used to maintain this lock. Look at your loss of… privacy, as a tradeoff for being alive."_

"_You know… for some reason, I can't shake the feeling that you are quite happy with this outcome…"_

"_Well, I get to keep my job, aaaand watch the love of youth evolve. Ah, such a wonderful feeling."_

"_Oh Dear… Mara help me if I'm gonna have to endure you in ALL my thoughts now…"_

"Ehm… I'm sure it will be Thomas, but that would require for you to be alive, and not actually having succumbed to one of your brushes with death…" Ash says, bringing my thoughts back to the real world.

"Gods, I didn't mean for it to come out like that Ash, I… oh, ehm right…"

"At least take me on a date before you start talking about that kind of stuff anyway, okay?" She says, the red color beginning to be replaced by her normal skin tone. Something's telling me that this is not the last I'll hear of this. I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing.

"Finally, I found the blasted place… or at least, one of them. The closest place to us that sells tea… among other stuff, is called "Divine Winds" and… hmm, it is located on the upper wards… you guys fancy a cap, or do we hoof it?"

"Do we have money for a… Damn, that's right. Was I paid while in the hospital?" I ask, turning to Ash.

"Why wouldn't you be? You were even given a medal, so why on earth should they stop paying you?"

"I don't know… I guess, I thought that since I've been out of service for so long, I… never mind."

For some reason, Nic is standing over at some kind of terminal, poking in what looks like thin air. I am about to ask him just what the hell he is doing when a… well, an aircraft suddenly swoops down in front of him. It's one of those universal flying cars that I can't bloody remember what's called. We, meaning me and Ashley jog over to where he is standing with a smug grin, thumbing at the vehicle. Inside, a Salarian driver is waiting, looking at us with those large black eyes. Back at the clinic, I didn't really get a good look, but now that I do, I realize just how, wouldn't say creepy, but just alien it looks. Or, how alien he looks… or is it a she? Hell I don't know. At least, the Salarian lets us board, and after having gotten some instructions from our friendly heavy-hitting Greenlander, he punches it, sending the car flying through the Presidium. Nicolai is seated up front with me and Ash in the back. I can't resist it but to let my hand run through her hair, that long raven black hair. She lets her head slump onto my shoulder with a happy sigh. I simply can't help a smile. _Damn… she is just so… is there even a word for it? _Every time I even _look_ at Ash, my body starts feeling like its on fire, but a nice kind of fire. It's like, when I look at her, the rest of the world just… I don't know, but it's just such a wonderful feeling.

As we sit there, in almost perfect silence, as Nic appears to be messing with his Omni-tool, and the driver seemingly content to keep to his driving, I look at Ash. My woman, my kickass beautiful compassionate hardass woman. Her hair, no longer being in the tight knot it usually is in, flows down her shoulders like a black, yet serene and beautiful cascade of water. We sit there for a while, just feeling each others, guess you would say heartbeat, but it feels like being more than that. I feel like I'm feeling, almost touching, her very being. I know it sounds weird, but there is just no other way to describe it. The only thing that disturbs the moment, is that annoying faint humming I hear more and more often. I swear, ever since Roku "lost" those locks, that has happened more and more often. However, I shrug it off; looking back down at Ash now almost sprawled across my lap like some kind of lazy cat. Seriously, this is one of those things that only women are allowed to do. I continue letting my hand glide through her hair as I gaze out the windows of the car. The rings of the Presidium are disappearing behind us, being replaced with some kind of tunnels. The entire place is lit by some kind of LED-lights. Other than those occasional lights, the entire corridor is pitch-black. I return to look at Ash as she looks at me from her makeshift bed… or chair. I'm not really sure what to call my own legs, which causes me to grin. Or, I think I'm grinning. Damn, I have to figure out my own facial expressions, I have no idea if I'm smiling or grinning like a retarded child-molester. _And… why did I just consider that possibility? _I swear, there could be something to Emhart's guess that I'm autistic.

A beeping sounds from the front seat, and Ash gets up from my legs, stretching. For some reason, she reminds me even more of a cat now, filling the entire backseat as she moans. Or grunts. I don't really know what to call it, but 'moans' just conjures up images from that dream I had on Eden Prime. Man, I'm glad Roku couldn't see my thoughts back then. As she gets up, she stretches across the backseat -part of the car, rubbing my nose with the back of her hand. I am about to retort, or something, when she then, for some purpose, possibly because of some sinister plot devised by Lucifer himself, proceeds to mess up my hair. Since I have not been able to cut it since I was sent to the hospital as more or less a corpse, and the fact that I didn't cut it before I was even sent here, my hair is now covering my face, obstructing my view completely… unless one counts seeing a forest of black and brown as a view. Still, Ash sits upright next to me, and the fact that I can't see her eyes, and she can't see mine… I sneak a, no actually, my eyes simply wander to her… chest, on their own. _Well, there are certainly reasons to call this a view, now that I think of it…_ okay, why did I not feel embarrassed there? Seriously, that was probably the most pervy thing I've thought so far… wait, was that my brain or me? _Oh De-_

"Hey Thomas, it's for you." Nicolai calls from the front seat. Snapping out of it, I brush the hair from my face, looking towards him;

"Alright, directing you to his ear-speaker now… hang on" He says, apparently speaking to someone on the other end. _Connecting me? What does…_

"Hey Thom, you there?" A woman says, completely catching me off guard. I mean, I was expecting someone to speak. The thing that bugs me is that the bloody head-thing I'm wearing, I borrowed from Ash. By the way, how many of those things does she have? I mean come on, what kind of girl runs around with dozens of translator-headphones ready for use? Not that I'm complaining, but it just strikes me as being plain… well, odd. Oh piss it, I'm getting off track here.

"Eh… yeah, I'm here… who is this?" I say, tapping the earpiece with my new hand. _A bit too hard… that's going to hurt later…_

"I'm guessing that means you're pretty lousy at recognizing voices?" The woman says. I swear, I can hear a chuckle in her voice. If I could just… okay, how many women do I know? Let's see… there's Tequila, Kasumi, Liara… Jane… Chakwas… Ash, of course, but she's right here, so…

"Seriously, throw me a bone here. The sound is pretty bad, so give me something to go for." Actually, the sound is just fine, but I can't pick up the person. _Think you stupid lump of fat, calling itself my brain._

"How many girls do you know who calls you 'Thom'?" _Well, that would be either Ash… or… oh._

"Kasumi?"

"The one and only. Heard you escaped from hospital. Didn't even consider calling me huh?" She says. The amount of fake anger is so large, I can practically see her childish smile through the speaker;

"Yeah well, I kinda lost my Omni-tool. Funny story: I was nearly killed, and it just decided to give out." I say, not being capable of fully concealing the irritation in my voice. She just _had_ to call me when I'm having Ash lying in my lap like a fat cat. Okay, scratch the 'fat' part, but like a cat of some sort.

"Oh… right, you did mention something about that… anyway, I was just wondering if you have had the chance to chat up the clone-guys for me?"

"'Fraid not. I'm heading for a small tea-shop on the Wards… actually, we're in the wards right now. Gotta say, it looks really different than in… than the last time I was here." Damn, I nearly slipped up there.

"Funny, I never had you guessed for a Tea-person… what kind?" _I'm… wait what?_

"Ehm… Roiboss and Licorice… why?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. Well, I've got work to do, see ya." She says, cutting off the communication. I guess one could say I'm sitting here a bit flabbergasted. The strangest part is, I don't know why. I mean, when I think about it, Kasumi _is_ Japanese, and don't they have like a Green Tea fetish or something?

"That was Kasumi?" Ashley asks. She is probably curious as she has only heard of Kasumi, never met her. I think. Hell, I don't know if they all had a big slumber party while I was in coma. I turn my gaze from the window to Ash, brushing a few strains of hair from her face. Smiling, she leans in and kisses me on the mouth. _No matter how many times she does that…_ I think as I return it …_I'll never get quite used to it…_ when we break away, I feel like I'm the one with the idiotic grin. Not that her smile is idiotic in any way, it's just a way of speaking… I think.

"Yeah… Yeah it was. She wanted to know if I had talked to the commandoes yet… something about toys. You know, you really should meet her. She is a funny person, addicted to ramen and suffering from a voluntary case of kleptomania. The polar opposite of you." I say, rubbing her back. There is that hum again. I'm about to ask Roku if he really can't hear anything, when I notice that it's different from the one I heard in the hospital. That's also when I notice that Ash is the one humming, almost like a cat. I shoot a glance at my artificial hand as it journeys across her back. _Am I really thát good at this?_

"What's that supposed to mean huh?" She says with a content voice. Still, the frown on her face betrays the fact that I probably just said something wrong. _Dammit!_

"Well, she is funny, you're a hardass, she- ouch!" I rub my side as she just japed me below the ribs, causing my entire body to jolt.

"What did you just call me?" She says, a playful sneer on her lips. I rub my sore side with my right hand, massaging where she directed her evil attack.

"A hardass? Seriously Ash, I believe I, if no one else, is entitled to call you that." I say, mimicking her sneer, starring into her eyes. In the background I can hear Nic mumble something about a room. Fuck it… I have to retaliate.

"Because you're my boyfriend?" She says, suddenly leaning in and kissing me again. Whatever I was going to do, which actually included testing if she was ticklish anywhere to the point of surrender, evaporates the instant our lips meet. Or, actually, it's more like her lips meeting mine, while I'm too surprised to respond right away. _Damn… she just knows how to work me… out, I guess. _

"I was going to say 'because I'm pretty sure I still have some bruises from our last sparring', but that one works just fine as well." For some reason, that one earns me a punch as well, albeit a bit softer, and this time directed at my left shoulder.

"My, my Chief… getting a little soft, are we?" I ask jokingly. I barely felt a thing when she punched me._ I'm sooooo much beating her the next time we spar._

"Hey Nic?" I say, turning my attention briefly to the front seats.

"Yeah?"

"If… if the thing that happened last time we were in a place like… could you…you know?"

"Knock you out and drag you away?"

"I was more thinking of-" I say. I do not want to repeat that scene, waking up in a cell where I had to spend the following five hours explaining to Nicolai's parents why he had to spend the night in a cell.

"Sure, I can do that."

"Hhhhrrrrr…. Sounds like you actually missed what happened back then…"

"Ah, good times… good times…" I just glare at him. When I finally decide to look out the window again, we are soaring through the wards.

…

"Well, this is a nice enough place." Nic says, walking away from the car. For some reason he will probably inform me off later, he decided to pay the entire bill for the drive… flight… the trip. I'm just standing in front of a moderate sized store, the name 'Divine Winds' spelled at the front with large black italic letters. The funny thing is… they are written in English, but the owner is Asari. Strangest thing… I wonder if the translator is doing this as well, but I haven't even activated anything besides the basic functions. To be honest, I have yet to figure out how to do that… but, perhaps Ash already had it programmed to this? Hell, I don't know;

"Well… shall we-"Ash start, but then… the smell hits me. Or, not smell, but scent… aroma. It… it is hard to describe, but there is the essence of the roots of the licorice-root… the leaves of mint… the sweet crispy bark of the cinnamon… even lemon and… _is that… nah, they can't… I mean… God, yes it… Christmas Tea!_

It's like everything else just… gets blocked out. By the time Ash has finished her sentence, I'm already at the center of the store. I'm surrounded, on all sides, by boxes and canisters of different sorts of wood. Some are cheap light wood, probably birch or perhaps regular beech, but others are of higher quality, some of oak, maybe even ash or more exotic sorts… I don't really know. The thing is, all these types of wood carry and enhances the smell of tea. A few of the sorts sadly decrease the scents, overpowering them with their own smell. I pay it little heed though, as I find myself before a small container of mixed spiced tea, held behind a plastic-glass with a small lid of wood. The scent, as there is no other way to describe it, tells me of… of… curry? No, that is not it… it… could be thyme? Odd, I do not remember having had that in tea before. I can feel something tickle my chin as I stand here, taking in the smells and impressions. Wiping my face with a sleeve, I notice that there is a bit of drool on it. _Figures… just have to keep it together for a little longer… buy the tea, and be out again. _I just have to be focused here… just… find out if they have Roiboss… which it smells like they have, and perhaps licorice tea… and maybe some cinnamon… and lemon? And perhaps… no, I need to focus here… if I lose it, Nic will punch me over the head again… and if C-Sec gets me… that Turian will probably have my balls sold to a krogan. And I'm not looking forward to- wait, that smells like… there it is!

In front of me, almost as if positioned on a podium, a cache of dark wood is labeled "Roiboss".

"_Keep it together Thomas! I'm not going to lose you again because of this."_

"_I know, but… but…yes, I'll be careful… okay, I just have to go to the desk, buy what I need, then get out of here…"_

"_Good."_

"Hello there. My name is Yalina. What can I help you with?" An Asari, maiden, I think it is called, says. She is standing behind the desk, having just placed down a book. _Hmm… Austen? Not ba- wait… why is an alien reading human books?_ I can't help but look at it. Apparently, she notices where my eyes are, picking up the book;

"I'm guessing you may be wondering why an Asari is reading one of your books." She says, a warm smile on her lips. I think it is something Asari just can, like smile and attract other species.

"Ehm… well, yeah. I kinda did… I didn't even know Austen had been translated… what is it? 'Pride and Prejudice'?" I ask, keeping my eyes on the book. It doesn't have any other decoration than the name 'Jane Austen'. And a red leather cover.

"You know it?" She says, nodding with a smile.

"Yeah, I… may have read it once…" Nicolai clears his throat somewhere behind me;

"Okay, three times… it is a good read." I say, looking up from the book to her. Yalina smiles;

"It is. I imagine human women often… thought about Darcy, even if he was a fool."

"I'm the wrong person to ask here… but, again, when did it get translated to… your language?" I say. If I stay too long, the smell of tea is bound to cause me to lose it.

"It hasn't as far as I know." Ash says, looking at the book; "And this one is in English as well?" She says, directing her words more towards Yalina than me.

"Yes it is. Stephen taught me to read your language, or at least one of them. It's weird, Asari have one, _one_ written language, but you humans? Phew, I'm getting dizzy just by thinking about it… hundreds of languages… how did you ever manage to organize?"

"Beats me… but… oh, you are bonded with a human?" Yalina gets a sad smile on her face.

"I am. He is the most loving and caring person I've ever met, even gave me my daughter."

"Something's wrong?" Ash says. She must have noticed the expression as well. _Wait, I thought Ash was a xenophobe? When did that change? Not that I'm complaining, this was what I aimed for… but was it something I did?"_

"I… not really. I guess it is my own fault, for falling for him… but humans just… live so damned short lives." She says, a trace of something else in her voice. I'm not sure if it is to be called sadness, or perhaps grief, but it definitely isn't someone who's ready to sing 'Daisy Bells'.

"I'm sorry… if I may, how… old is he?" Ash says.

"Seventy-two… we've been bonded… married, as humans call it, for forty years." She says, a small happy smile protruding on her lips, briefly replacing the sad smile.

"Well, then you should at least have another forty- fifty years. There is still time, right?" Ash says, giving her a smile.

"I guess, when you put it that way. He may even get to see Daniora join the academy… Sorry, about bothering you with that." The sad smile is slowly being replaced with the typical warm Asari-smile again.

"Hey, it's okay. If it helps cheer you up, we-" Ash says, gesturing at herself and Nic; "-Are actually only here because my retarded boyfriend here…" She says, messing up my hair; "can't be left alone in a tea-shop… don't ask." I get the hair out of my face and send Yalina an exasperated look.

"Well, if it is because he loves tea, then I guess we can't have him go without it. What would you like?" Yalina says with a small grin.

"I… I noticed that you have Roiboss in here… do you carry licorice as well?"

"We sure do. for some reason, only our two people drink tea, don't ask me why, so there arrant that many customers, and I only have to accommodate the needs of humans, since the tea you drink, is the same my people like. Well, almost. For some reason, you humans like that licorice-flavor… I've never been a big fan of it… frankly, it gives me rashes when I'm handling it in spice-form. Which is why we sell them in both jars and tea-bags."

"Okay… how much for… say, two kilos of licorice, and one kilo of Roiboss?" I swear, the look on her face. I could have told her my life-story, and she would not have had eyes this wide.

"T- two kilos? Three kilos in to-total? Are you throwing a party?" She says, wonder in her voice, though I'm not sure why. I scratch my neck without noticing it until it starts to hurt;

"Ehm… no, I don't think so… it's just that we are probably not going to dock with the citadel again for some months, and if I run dry again…"

"Fair enough. You are marines I take it?" Yalina says as she hammers in the numbers on her computer. _I have a feeling this is going to be expensive…_

"We are. Best there is… or, at least the strangest there is…" Nic says, leaning against a shelf containing crates with labels in some writing I can't read.

"Strangest? How so?"

"Let's just say the crew is pretty diverse."

"I see… what ship do you serve on?" She says, scanning the wares as they emerge from a hatch behind her." _This looks almost like Aldi_(**Supermarket**)_ back home… cool._

"They serve on the SSV Normandy ma'am." A synthesized voice suddenly responds from the entrance to the store. Snapping around so fast I'm amazed I don't get whiplash, I look at where the voice came from.

"Commander Shepard. Good to see you." Ash says, snapping to attention. Both Nic and I hurry up doing the same, although we may need a bit more practice.

"At ease there guys, we're on shore leave, remember?" John says, walking into the shop at a relaxed pace. I'm not, and will probably never be, surprised when I see Tali following him in, looking around in the store. I wouldn't be that amazed if she had never been in a place like this before. I'm guessing she's been shooed out of enough shops to completely avoid them altogether. I just hope Yalina is not a racist. That would kinda ruin the mood. We relax our standings, and I shoot a glance at the Asari. She seems to be wondering over something, possibly over how to react to this, but I can't see any hint of animosity or hostility.

"I guess you can thank me for that one commander." I say with a grin, gesturing at my arm and face. The eye still scratches a bit, but I just force myself to leave it alone. Like how I stopped biting my nails. A synthetic chuckle comes from his voice-emitter, reminding me of Reegar talking;

"Yeah, I guess we do… though you're damn lucky we didn't leave you back on Feros, you know?"

"I guess I can't argue with that." I say, leaning backwards with my arms crossed and a small smile on my lips.

"Oh… and by the way… sorry for not visiting you… I suppose I could say that the council… had my ass, I think humans call it, along with Nihlus as we had to give a long and detailed verbal report on what had transpired down there." I'm sorry, but did John just apologize to me? Hell, I think he did! But… why am I then so surprised about it? Did he have any part in me getting blown up?

"Ah sir… I mean John, I mean… ah sir, you shouldn't apologize for that. I just did my job, and I just wasn't careful enough. Besides, the bigger the rank the bigger the headache right?"

"Yeah, well… how is the new 'gear' working out?" He says, nodding at my left arm. Next to me, Nicolai is, for some reason, showing Tali around in the shop. Who knows, maybe they have Dextro-based tea here as well.

"As good as if it was born on me sir. The new eye scratches a bit, but Emhart, the doctor, said that it would, or at least should stop after a few days."

"You know Thomas, you are starting to sound a lot more like a soldier, and not as some raw recruit. I bet Anderson would be surprised…which reminds me, you should get back to the ship and get on the Navy Blues."

"John? What do… you…mean?" I say, scratching my neck.

"You really thought I hadn't heard that you are supposed to receive a medal? What the Fre'eg kind of a commander would I be if I ignored that?"

"Oh… right. Well, I think we're just going to pay here, and then I'll head back to the ship" _Damn… no alcohol then…could be funny as hell though, to show up drunk as a… well, drunk person._

"So… you're Commander Shepard?" Yalina says. I guess the others had forgotten about her, because they all more or less spin around on the spot when she breaks the silence. John nods;

"That I am. It's good to meet someone who doesn't instantly attempt to throw me and Tali out the store the second we've entered. And, you are…?" He says, looking at Yalina with what I guess is a smile… or he could be sneering or pretty much anything.

"Yalina sir. You… may have met my sister, Shiala Tevorna… she… used to follow Matriarch Benezia… but, then they started doing what Saren told them to… I told her some months ago that she should get out of it, that it wasn't safe… she was just… I guess you could say she seemed like she didn't hear me… then, about two weeks ago, she suddenly calls me, apologizing and almost crying. She had been betrayed by Benezia, sold like a thing to some kind of big alien plant… and you people saved her. Please, if there is any way I can help you, any way I can repay you… just ask." Okay… that was probably the last thing I expected. Well, not really. The last thing would be for John to see her and shout 'Mum!', but this is pretty close. So… Yalina is the sister of the Asari whose clone almost killed me? Freaky…

"Actually, there is something you can do." John says, a hand under his helmet's chin.

"Anything."

"Do you have any Dextro-based coffee or tea?" Okay… this one ranks just below the one with the sisters… seriously? I mean, okay, John likes coffee… I'm just having a hard time imagining him drinking coffee. Maybe with a straw?

"I… we don't have any Dextro-tea… but we do have coffee for both Dextro and Levo-based races."

"Alright, hear me out here: The Normandy has a crew of about sixty people, plus the ground-crew. If you are willing to give my mess-sergeant here…" He says, pointing at Nicolai; "… a discount on coffee and tea, let's say about thirty percent, I'll make you the sole supplier for my ship. And believe me, we'll be regular customers." I could have sworn John was smirking there, if… well, if it wasn't because I can't see his face besides the eyes… and sometimes the nose when he is in the right angle.

"Well… well, of course. I would have gone with free, because you saved my sister, _and_ taught her a lesson to stay away from genocidal maniacs, but I'm fine with that as well."

"Good. Just out of curiosity, what has Private Fisher bought so far?" He says, pointing at me.

"Three kilos of tea… do you want it for free?" She says. _Wait, she is… for free? Damn, I have to visit more stores like this one… let's see… do I know anyone with family on Noveria? Well, Liara of course, but she isn't a vendor… damn, I think that was it… if only I'd seen the side-missions. _

"Don't be silly, Thomas has bought it for himself, therefore he should pay for himself… unless it's for sharing?" Since when the fuck has John developed that kind of evil humor. Dammit! The humming is back again, and I'm starting to have a headache. I'm going to get you back for this one John… just you wait.

"Well Sir… it _is_ for sharing, but I'll pay for it myself. Wouldn't want you to- never mind…" Fuck… what I was about to say… it could not have come out in a good way.

"To what? Piss myself? Jump of a building? Eat cheese?" He says, crossing his arms.

"To eat cheese sir… I am not sure if there is such a thing as Dextro-cheese…"

"You're right… the turians never bothered with dairy-products."

"Riiight… so, Yalina… how much?"I say, turning back to the shop owner. It is painfully obvious that she is finding this whole thing very entertaining. Plus, she just met the man who rescued her sister.

"Well… three kilos a la two kilos licorice and one Roiboss… normally, that would be five hundred and eighty-two credits… but since it's you…" Yes, I get a discount as well!;

"Five hundred and eighty credits." She says. Next to me, Ash cracks down laughing. _Two credits? Really?_

"Why do I feel like I'm the only one not getting the joke here?" I say, handing over the cash.

…

I wonder who actually folds my clothes… I mean, the last time I remember having this on, I just threw it on the bed. Now it's folded and ready on the bunk. Ah well, just one of life's mysteries. Donning the casual uniform I put on the more 'exclusive' clothes. Actually, I guess they are more of a parade-uniform, but I'm not sure. Haven't really been to a parade before, so I'm not sure. Also, I'm a little nervous.

Okay, scratch that: I'm cold-sweating. I'm borderline panicking here, although I'm doing my best not to show it. I mean, I am supposed to not only receive a medal, which is damn cool. I mean, it is the Purple Heart, one of the more common medals, but it is still on hell of an honor. Seriously, I'm about to go and receive a medal, something I would have never imagined back… back then. I was in the bottom of the classes and skills in Homeland Security, and a monkey was more likely to be given a medal than I was. _I guess dying has a way of changing people… dying twice? That apparently just enhances the experience…_

Yeah, that's the second thing. Actually, when I think about it that should really be the first thing I should be worried about. I'm supposed to let Roku speak to the councilor from the Salarians. I mean, what the hell was I thinking, revealing myself to him like that? I was just waltzing up 'oh, look at me mister councilor, I'm _important_, I have a spirit in my head.' Jesus, couldn't I have found some other way of letting them know about the Citadel attack. Sure, I have to make something happen, try and prevent the mass-slaughter that is bound to happen if I don't. But, what if the other councilors are there? Or, what if Anderson is there? Mara that would be embarrassing. If he found out about Roku, or my past… he would perhaps see it as me having lied to him or something, back when he hired me and Ash. Oh dear, why can't my stomach settle down?

Sighing, I take the last shoe between my thighs, having not yet put on the navy-blue pants. _Figures… they still use this crap…_ I growl, rubbing the shoe with a fat-soaked sponge. Why do these things have to shine like polished glass anyway? Sure, let's polish the thing we use to trudge around in the dirt with… who the hell came up with that idea? Even the bottom of it, the sole, has to be polished. _Polish that turd!_ My mind screams at me. Ah, John Oliver… I could use the Daily show now… just, some kind of 'pick-me-up', something to make me laugh or to take my mind of the fact that I'm about to present a divine being to a member of the galactic council. Sighing again, I put the shoe down next to its partner. After the process of eradicating the remaining shoe-polisher on my fingers, which by the way is a painstakingly long process, I proceed to get on my pants and lace my shoes. The entire attire feels like wearing cardboard. It's just so… stiff.

"You know, you should dress up like that more often." A female voice sounds from the door. Looking in the direction but already knowing who it is, I spot Ash standing in the door, leaning against the frame.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't feel right. Like I'm wearing a mask." I say, brushing the attire. I've brushed the thing until it looked like it hadn't been shot at during my last visit to the station, and the brass-buttons have all been polished to the degree where I can see my own face in them. If I move it really close to them that is.

"Well, I don't think we should let you go to the meeting with _that_ beard… and that hair." She says, barely suppressing a chuckle looking at my mane and bear-like facial hair. I bet I, with a bit of imagination, could pass for a lion. With the hair that is… I don't have any whiskers… or teeth like that.

"Yeah well, I am not currently possessing a scissor or a razor or anything like that… so, unless you want me to set my beard on fire, or just rip it off, which I would not be happy with, I don't see how I can get rid of it. John kinda brought us back here before I had a chance to buy a shaver or a razor." I say, looking in a mirror across the room. The crew quarters have a sink with soap and mirror and all. Just, if you need to use the toilet, it's out the door and down the corridor. _And that's where I found John in a fetal position… damn, I wonder if he actually still thinks, or ever thought that I had told Ash about that scene… which I didn't._

"That's why I'm here. I went to a few convenience-stores while you were out… about that time when Emhart was adjusting your arm. I knew that you would have to be a little more presentable when meeting the brass, so I thought ahead. You can thank me later." She says, producing a scissor, as well as a humming shaver. I doubt I've been this glad to see a shaver since the day I started shaving;

"Catch." Ash says, tossing the machine at me. Gripping it, I notice that it, as insane as it sounds, looks almost identical to the one I left in my apartment back in Aarhus.

"Oh I plan to. Thanks beautiful." I say, only realizing my words the second they left my mouth. Who just dipped my ears in boiling water? _Okay… did I just say that out loud?_

"_I believe you did. I find your expression, as well as the bright red on your face, to be highly entertaining."_

"_Oh… shit."_

"_If it helps, I'm detecting an increased production of pheromones in Ashley, as well as heavy breathing and an increased humidity in her lower regi-."_

"_No, just… just no, Roku. THAT was just plain creepy!" _

"_Sorry… just trying to lighten the mood. Now go shave, we only have twenty-seven minutes and ei-seven-six seconds till you have to be to the small ceremony for the medal they are going to give you."_

"_Sigh… I know."_ I say, turning on the machine and looking in the mirror. I have a feeling I'm going to have to empty this thing before I'm done._ "I just… isn't the Purple Heart a minor medal?"_

"_True, still it is a medal. Therefore there is to be a small ceremony. Be thankful it isn't the Medal of Honor. Then you would probably be marched to the White House back on Earth."_

"_Yeah… no thank you. Let John have that one… or, Jacob perhaps? I bet Zaeed could pull of something insane enough to be awarded with that one."_

"_Like blowing up a refinery?"_

"_Ehm… now that you mention it…" _I'm about done with the left side of the face, using the secondary function on the shaver. If I used the primary, my hairs would be torn out. That would hurt. The secondary juts them instead, so it doesn't hurt like a bitch.

"Hey Thom?" Ash says, remaining where she is.

"Mmm?" I say, removing the half-way beard on my throat. This part was always the worst. It's difficult to get to them.

"Just out of curiosity, what did you mean when you said you 'planned to thank me later'?" Oh fuck… there it came.

"Huh… I was thinking perhaps we could… ehm… I don't know, go on a date perhaps… if ehm you… want?" Mara, why can't I get one good sentence out when talking about dates with her? I swear, it is annoying. This is perhaps the one area where Roku could… no, No! No, I will not have him in this. The cold sweat is starting to make the hairs stick to the shaver. I'm almost done, only thing left is the rightmost sideburn.

"Perhaps? You're not sure if you want to, or is this the old case with you not being able to speak to girls?" Ash says. There is a bit of insecurity in her voice, I think. I have never been good at judging people's emotions.

This is where I could slap myself. Really hard. Way to go, making it sound like I'm not really interested;

"Of course I want to… I mean, if you do. It's just I've… you know, I've never been on one before… I don't know anything about it besides what it's called… and I… may be a little… nervous." I say, shifting between looking at my newly polished shoes, and her eyes. _Dammit, why the hell can't I do this shit!?_

"Yeah, I want to. I think it's about time we went out. What do you say, if you aren't court-martialed when that Valern finds out about Roku, then we could… go see a movie?" She says, a suggesting smile on her face.

"Huh? I thought dates were when you sat and had dinner with candles and all… it can be- oh for the love of- of course it- ach, never mi- I mean… let me just start over: Yeah, I would love to go watch a movie with you."

"So… it's a date?" She asks, a coy smile on her lips. _God, why did I wait for so long before asking her?_

"Yes, it is." I say. I can feel my heart pounding the fastest it has done since I revealed the truth to her on Therum, and at the same time my head is spinning while my feet feel like they are made of concrete. Before I can even get the stupid smile on, our solitude is disturbed;

"Oi! Are you two soon done snuggling in here? Thomas needs to get to that meeting, or he won't get that medal. Isn't that how it works?" Nicolai asks, sticking his head through the door. I blow a few strands of hair from my face, looking at him;

"Yeah, I'll be right there… just need to figure out what to do with my hair is all…" I say, pulling it behind my head for the I-have-no-idea-how-many-times time.

"That's what I'm here for." Ash says, brandishing the scissor in her hands. I'm not sure I like this. I've always hated going to the barber, and as a result I usually cut my own hair. Which is also why it usually looked like crap, but at least I didn't have to go to the barber. To be honest, I think it might have been a childhood fear… or perhaps the trauma that followed. So far, Ash hasn't seen me without hippie-long hair, and that is a good thing. Otherwise, she might have remarked on the fact that my right ear is missing a fair snip of it, mainly a bit of the top. I guess one could say it looks funny, and perhaps it looked funny at that time as well, but I was more focused on the mortal wound I had been dealt, than if it looked funny. Hey, I was only four years old.

"_Who are you talking to?"_

"_Mara, not this again..."_

…

"Ash… I'm not letting you near my hair again, okay?" I say, giving her the stare of death.

"What? I think it looks nice on you, perhaps even cute." She says, a small smile on her lips betray the fact that she had this in mind all along when she bought that damn scissor and shaver.

"I mean… for… look, why, why a Mohawk?" I say, running my right hand over the cleanly shaved dome that is my head. It's extremely short, except for a broad strip of short dark hair running from forehead to the back of the head.

"Don't know, perhaps because it enhances the badass look with the new eye?" She says, eyeing her work. She better hope I never get to her with a scissor. And perhaps some pink dye. _A pink haired Ash… let's hope I can outrun her in that case._

"But… look, you couldn't know this, but to me, the Mohawk belongs to Soap MacTavish." I say, looking at the ceiling in the corridor.

"Who?" Right… gotta stop making game references all the time… at least when other people can hear it.

"He was a captain in SAS back in the 21st century. Took part in the Afghani wars among other things. One of the most highly decorated officers I know of." I say, taking my eyes of the lights in the ceiling to look at her. She still has the snide grin on her face, but there is also a bit of curiosity there.

"Never heard of him… and my family is pretty much straight military."

"I know, but he was mostly in black-ops, so he wasn't that known to the public. I do think he was killed at some point in 2016… but I'm not sure…" I say. It probably would be best to start discussing games with her. Just because she defended me, and accepted Tequila and the clones… Tequila then, I'm not sure if Ash trust the clones yet. Which is probably healthy. I bet if someone gave them, say 'Order 28', they would turn their guns on us in an instant… unless commandoes don't have that. Still, that doesn't mean I should just start blabbering about games and make her feel… I don't know, like I still see her as that. Which I don't, just to make that clear.

"Oh… well, I still think it looks good on you." She says, giving me a teasing punch. _Dammit woman… stop playing me like that…_

"Hmm… we'll see." I say, looking at the long corridor we are marching through.

The Presidium seems oddly quiet and scary, like the hallway to the inspector's office in Calvin and Hobbes. There are lots of people here, sure, but I can't help the feeling that I could very well be drawing my very last breaths. It doesn't help that people are looking after us, a procession of two Quarians and three humans all dressed in our finest navy blues. Well, John and Tali aren't, but he has, as the commander of our ship, donned the Quarian armor his suit is usually covered by in exchange for what I guess is the Quarian version of fine clothing. More and more people notice us as we are walking towards the human embassy. Why the heck they don't have a fast-transit to that place, but one that goes to Cora's Den, is beyond me. Especially since the Den is a shot-up, burned and bruised bar, now without an owner even. As we pass the reception, I can't help but remember the scene we had with Samesh here. I hope the poor guy actually received his wife's body, and that we weren't just told off. It also makes me remember the expression on that bureaucrat, Vosker I think his name was? It isn't important, but the expression… and the laugh we shared afterwards, me and Ash, while Nic was just looking like a content but confused mother-hen, sighing over her two silly chickens… that was a good day.

Still… I can't help but feel a bit of guilt… a lot actually. If I had just barged out with my secret back on Eden Prime… if I had told them… warned them about Sovereign or the geth… then all of them wouldn't be dead. Or, perhaps they would, some of them, but at least more would have gotten away. The doctor, Melissa, Bolin… even the douche bag above me… they would have gotten away, or would have had a chance to hide or fight back. Maybe we could have used the Mako's in the colony to fight the geth… or… I don't know. Sighing, I notice we have reached the place where the hall divides into two doors. One of them is an embassy for… the Elcor, and the other is ours.

"_So, here I am… about to receive a medal for having half my body blown to shit, while other people, like those on Eden Prime, the defenders of Zhu's hope, or just, I don't know, Ash or John. They are both so much better than me, and I'm the one getting a medal? Sometimes I… I mean, of course I am glad that I'm receiving a medal, it's just… sometimes I don't understand how all of this works…"_

"_Ah… survivors' guilt?"_

"_Perhaps… I don't really know…"_ I think, sighing. _"Let's get this over with, shall we?"_ I turn to the others, noticing that John is actually waiting for me to go in first. I breathe in, rolling my shoulders back. Breathing out again, I palm the door's screen, activating it.

Inside, I'm greeted by the sight of three people standing behind a computer, engaged in conversation. One of them is Anderson, which I guess was to be expected. Then there is the second person, Udina. Of course, this is kinda his workplace, so of course he is here. The last one surprises me though.

"Jane?" I say, starring at the red-haired woman talking to Anderson. I'm not sure what to feel right now as she turns to nod at me with a smile. Fear? Could she have snapped or just made her move, convincing Anderson and Udina to take the ship from John and give it to her? Does she actually have her Spectre status here? Or, is she here to congratulate me? Here to give Intel to the bras? And why are her eyes so red?

"Hello Private Fisher. I see I got here just in time." She says with a smile.

"In time for what?" Ashley says, eyeing Jane with a hint of suspicion.

"Well, Thomas's ceremony of course. He's a fellow crewmember, so I thought I had the right to be here… am I wrong Williams?" Jane says, looking at Ash with a bit of irritation, but also something more… sad in her eyes.

"Well… ehm, of course… I just didn't think you…" Ash says, simply stopping midsentence. Anderson seems to realize that the situation, if not helped, will grow more embarrassing by the second;

"Commander Shepard. I'm glad you could be here as well. When the ceremony is complete, I need a word with you." At the name 'Commander Shepard', I can't help but notice Jane flinching a bit. Just enough as to imply that she was about to respond when she remembered something, sighing, she goes to lean against the wall next to the door, arms crossed.

"Of course Captain. But let's get this done by… the book, I think you humans say?" John says. Anderson smiles, probably due to John's attempt on the old phrase. It does lighten the mood, I'll admit that.

"Yes, that is the saying. However, we are still waiting for… Ah, Admiral, come in please." Anderson says, looking at the door behind us.

"Thank you Anderson. It's too bad we only meet at these uptight ceremonies. Now where is the young man?" A female voice says from behind us. _I'm almost glad it isn't Hackett's voice… I think I would have fainted if it was him…_

"Yes, Private second Class Thomas Fisher. Serves on the SSV Normandy and has taken part in the liberation of Zhu's hope on Feros, where he completed his mission and destroyed a massive sentient plant that had taken over the colonists in the colony." Anderson says. I turn around to see a woman, possibly fifty or fifty-five, with dark red hair. Apart from the specks and strands of silver in it, she could have posed for a forty-year old. Well, that and the deep wrinkles under her eyes. _Green eyes?_ I suppose those are more regular these days than in my time;

"Yes, I read the reports… what on earth made you decide to blow up yourself to take out the Thorian son?" She says, eying me with a shrewd look. _Strange, if it wasn't for the scars on her face, most notably the ones over her eyes… they look like inflicted over time, not by an explosion… torture or self-inflicted I wonder… _But, if it wasn't for all those scars, she could almost look like an old version of Jane. A little creepy actually.

"Ehm… Permission to speak freely admiral?" I say, snapping to a quick salute. It still feels weird, and I'm positive I'm doing it wrong to a degree that could have me court-martialed, given the 'right' circumstances. I notice Ash, John and Nic snapping to a salute as well. Tali, at least, is worse at it than me, fumbling with which arm to use.

"Granted"

"Well… honestly, I don't think I was even thinking about it… I may just have thought that it… was a good way to destroy a big-ass plant." I say, shifting between mumbling and the occasional stutter.

"Well, there are only a few ways to destroy 'big-ass plants', and I suppose blowing it up can be considered one of them."

"Yes ma'am." Actually, she seems to be much less uptight than I had expected. _Hell, the bosses in Home-defense were worse. 'Get up you lazy Maggot!' or 'Are you trying to be sent home you punk?!'… damn, good times._

"Well, I suppose the ceremony doesn't do itself, does it now?" She asks, looking at me. _Fuck was that rhetoric or am I supposed to answer that?_

"_I think you should answer it. My guess is that she expects you to remain silent, but would be pleased with a private taking that chance with an admiral."_

"_That works, I guess…"_

"No ma'am, it doesn't." I say, doing my best to sound casual.

The group, as well as Anderson, Udina and Jane, repositions itself in order to form a line in front of the older woman, while Anderson and Udina takes up a place behind her. I'm a bit flustered here, not having a clue as to what I'm supposed to do.

"_Walk up in front of her, and keep the posture straight."_

"_Thanks… hey, how do you know that?"_

"_How do you think I spend time when not speaking to you or performing at birthday-parties?"_

"_I would really rather not know…"_

I slowly walk up to the admiral, fighting to keep my eyes straight.

"_Good, now turn to face her, back to the crowd."_

Turning to face the admiral, I notice Udina standing next to her with an open case. Inside it, I spot two things: some kind of golden fabric, just two lines of it lined against each other. I have no idea what it is, to be honest… but it looks a bit like the decorative lines on the navy uniform I'm wearing. The other is a small ribbon with a heart-shaped medallion of either brass or perhaps cobber… could be gold, but I doubt it. On the medal, a purple heart is placed, and on that a relief of a man with what looks like a wig is placed. That, on the other hand, looks very much like gold. The admiral picks it from the case, looking at it for a moment, as if remembering some old event tied to the object. I just stand as still and straight as I can, desperate not to fuck this up. She then places the medal on my chest, fastening it by piercing the fabric on my uniform with a small needle on the purple ribbon-like fabric. She then steps firmly back, snapping to a salute. I follow up as best and fast as I can with my own. _Okay… that went well… I think. _The admiral holds out a hand, waiting for me to grab it apparently. Problem is, it is her left hand. _Kyraneth, don't let me crush it!_ Outstretching my own left hand, I grasp hers as gently as I can. Still, I can tell from the way her muscles tense, that it is a pretty strong grip. Letting go again, I look a bit around, not moving anything but my eyes. Looking back at the admiral, I try averting my eyes from hers, instead inspecting her uniform. There is a small nametag on her chest. Absently reading it while she steps back from her position, I can't help but feel an ice-cold tinge going up and down my spine. It's the name on the sign. It… well, it could just be a freaky coincidence, the name, the hair and the eyes… I try to shake it from my system, ignoring the simple coincidence, but I still can't help but feel the gnawing pit in my stomach grow to heights unheard of. The elder woman seems to notice my discomfort.

"Is something the matter Private?" She asks, her tone both calming and demanding.

"No ma'am… I was simply thinking."

"Ah, that is a far too rare trait among you young soldiers. I'm glad you seem to posses it." she says, smiling. Still, her eyes… there is something almost…predatory to them; "What about, if I may ask?" _Oh for… come up with something… come up with something… 'yeah, you look like an old version of Jane'… that wouldn't really work…_

"Just… this whole thing Ma'am… I'm still not sure if I have… earned this. I mean… I don't even know if I did that much of a difference…" I say, hoping that she will buy it. Technically, it isn't a lie. I have been thinking about that.

"As I understand it, you have been doing your share, and then some."

"How, if I may ask?"

"From what I've been told, you not only managed to acquire four completely unknown commandoes with more than state-of-the-art technology, as well as making sure that the navy serves something actually edible for the first time I can remember. For that last one, I'm surprised you're not promoted to sergeant… but, I guess a corporal is a pretty good step up the ladder, won't you agree?" _I guess she is- wait WHAT?_

"M-Ma'am? I mean no disrespect, but I think you… may have, ehm… have gotten some facts wrong or something… I'm just a private… not even first class."

"_Makes sense… I did think I recognized those ribbons in the case…"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Don't you know what they are? I thought you spent time in Home Defense?"_

"_I… those are rank-ribbons?"_

"_I'm not sure that's what they are called… but yes, I should think so."_

"Correction, you _were_ a private. Did no one tell you about the promotion? That surprises me, as the commander on the Normandy should have been informed." As she says this, I can't help but to look around for John. Why the hell didn't he tell me? I see him, standing between Ash and Tali. As I send him a look, he simply nods his head towards Ash. For some reason, she is grinning like- she kept it from me? That- why the… and she says _I_ can behave immaturely?

"Oh… now that you mention it Ma'am… I guess I was told. I just had so much on my mind that I simply forgot about it. I am sorry if… I screwed u- I mean, if I did something that isn't worthy of the rank… Ma'am." I say. I might as well try and salvage the situation. It would suck if she or Anderson became upset with John, or worse: Ash. And, I guess that having a lot on my mind can kind of be used as an excuse here.

"Hmm, I suppose that is true. And don't worry corporal. You have but displayed a rather amusing personality. I must admit, I am sometimes a bit fed up with all those 'Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am' and 'May I kiss your butt Ma'am.' I also admit that the last one has had a bit more hits than the first two." I can't help but suppress a small smile at the thought of a marine saluting before kissing her bu… luckily, before I think that line out, she reaches down and procures the two rank-insignias.

"_Stretch out your hand, palm upwards. They are to be sewn on later."_

"_Oh… thanks."_

I follow his advice, but not until the woman holds the ranks for me to take. Studying them for a moment, I return the salute she gives me, and I'm about to step down when she lowers her voice to the degree of whispering;

"After the ceremony, I would like to speak with you." _Okay… I guess I can do that… am I just going to hold on to these then?_ I look briefly at the insignias in my right hand, clutching them. The fabric feels like it's made out of a very study material, yet it also feels a bit soft… I don't really know what it could be, and I doubt it plays such an important role anyway. Nodding to the admiral, I slowly step down from the podium, taking my place among the others. I cast a glance around the room. Where Udina looks more like he can hardly be bothered by this trivial occasion, Anderson looks like a proud man. Wonder why, he hardly knew me before John took charge. _Meh, maybe it is simply the fact that a guy he handpicked from Eden Prime actually turned out okay._

I notice he is looking straight at me, and actually giving me a smiling nod. I return it with an equal smile before looking ahead like the rest. I'm pretty surprised, to say the least, when Anderson actually steps up to the podium, saluting the older woman. He then stands before us, hands clasped behind his back. _Is he going to make a-_

"People, ladies and gentlemen from the SSV Normandy. I am proud to stand here today, knowing and having been reaffirmed in my knowledge, that I left the Normandy in good hands. So far, John'Shepard nar Rayya has proven himself an ample captain of the best ship in the Alliance Navy , as well as showing the ability to control his people on the ground. Damn good choice we made back there, if I may say so myself. You commander, along with your crew, have already gained an important ally in the form of Matriarch Benezia's daughter, and you have secured the colony of Zhu's Hope, as well as getting one step closer to figure out exactly what Saren is up to, and what the 'Reapers' have got to do with it" _Oh, I'm afraid you'll learn pretty soon. Hopefully Valern will inform you once I'm __**off**__ the Citadel, and not before._"I'm proud and I'm safe, in the knowledge that when you go to hunt for that bastard of a turian, you will have a greater chance of succeeding than anyone else. Good luck, and Godspeed." When he is done speaking, he raises his hand in a salute, and we all snap to as well. _Damn, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this…_

* * *

**Alright, how was that for a "filler"?**

**Okay, a free question to whoever can guess the identity of this new admiral, and what she could possibly wish to discuss with Thomas.**

**I don't really have that much to say right now, but to ask to things of you:**

**Tell me if this chapter was worth the words in it, or if it was bull-crap, and please spend two minutes or less on the poll. **

**Thank you.**

**(On another note, I'm going to Spain for the next week, so no new updates in that time.)**


	21. We all suffer in our own way

**Well, I must admit I am a bit surprised over the low attention to the poll so far. Still, there is time yet... more specifically a lot in fact. So, could you please go visit the poll? I've finished the intro-stories for all the options, so just go ahead. and remember to send the PM if you choose "another person", otherwise, I'll be forced to choose the second most popular one.**

**Alright, there has been some guesses as to who the Admiral is, and oddly enough, none of them were right. I know this is actually because I pretty much just conjured her up, but I did find it prett amusing what people guessed for. Some of you guys actually got pretty close.**

**Alright, here is a chapter that will most likely result in people shouting 'WTF?' and 'You can't just do that!', but... yeah, just read it. Afterwards you can tear me to shreds.**

**"There are no stupid people, except for fanatics of all kinds"**

* * *

"Ehm… Admiral, ma'am… you wanted to speak to me?" I say, stepping through the door leading to a smaller side-office.

"Yes. Close the door please." She says. The admiral is standing with her back to me, looking through a big window overlooking the Presidium lakes. The rest of the office is pretty much a big square, white walls adorned with the symbol of the Alliance, a couple of desks as well as a chair at both desks, and a couch next to the widow with an adjacent coffee table next to it. All in all, a cozy little place, not too pompous, not too spartan. I press the controls, leaving Ash, Nic, John and Tali outside. Udina and Anderson left some minutes ago, having spoken with John and Jane, adding her to the Normandy's paybook. I can't even begin to imagine how she must be feeling, meeting her old friends with none of them recognizing her. It would be like me returning home to… to have no one there recognize me.

"Corporal, I'm sure you must be wondering a bit as to why I wanted to speak to you?" She says, turning to face me. Her facial scars are almost radiating, not as the Mass Effect two scars Shepard would have, but more like they could be from yesterday, and not be Talos-knows how many years old.

"Eh, I have a few guesses, but… would it be okay, if I just hear it from you ma'am?" I say, not really sure how to handle the situation. To be honest, I have no idea whatsoever could have caused her to ask me in here, so I'm not exactly calm about it.

"I guess that's fair. I have been following you for some time, more specifically since the Normandy enlisted you and Chief Williams. It struck me as being odd that no record existed of you before the ship _the USS Malcolm_ was mentioned having dropped you off. Oddly enough, there is no mention of a ship with that name in any of the navy's records, neither in overall council space. Now, can you tell me, why is that?" _Wh- wha… oh SHIT!_

"I… I don't know… I was just told that the Malcolm had dropped me off… then I had gotten drunk and Williams found me under the monorail."

"Uh huh? Well, the Normandy is the most important ship in the navy, hell it cost more to build than my own dreadnaught. We can't afford liabilities and shifty people on board. Or, people who might not be what they appear to." _What the fuck? Is she… does she know?_

"_Most unlikely. Keep to the story, no need to reveal anything before we meet Valern."_

"Ma'am… I'm not quite sure I follow…"

"Well, never mind. It is not really important."

"If… you say so?" I say, not being able to stop my eyes from pacing across the room, scanning for escape routes or a makeshift weapon should anything go to shit. Man, this is messed up. Or, I am not sure. I don't know if she knows my secret, but it definitely sounded like it for a moment.

"Now, what I did want to discuss with you had to be done without Udina sneaking around. Never trusted that political weasel. I hope that doesn't offend you."

"Not really ma'am. I have a bit of respect for how he has managed to stay alive for this long on a station ruled by anti-humans, but other than that, he can go smoke a- I mean… I don't like him beyond that… Ma'am."

"Good… also, there is a reason I could not allow your crewmates in here for this discussion. I… hope you understand."

"Yes Ma'am…" I say, not fully understanding why, but I guess she's got her reasons.

"Oh please, cut out the 'Ma'am', it makes me feel old." She says, pinching the bridge on her nose with a pair of fingers.

"Then… what do I call you?" The name is still way too fucked up. I mean, there is no way it can be true. It can't be her…

"How about Anna?" She says, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. Her green eyes are locked with mine, drilling into me. Her words might as well have been a sledgehammer to my body. _Re- remain calm! It's just a coincidence, she died when she was four, this isn't her!_

"_That this would be… is just… I would actually call it insane."_

"_You- you and me both."_

"A- a-a… why could… I'm not sure…" I stutter, ending up with just standing there, opening and closing my mouth with no sound coming out.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you but, well… yeah… I wasn't really sure until now. You must understand, I only found out when I received the dossier for the Normandy's crew a week ago… at first I was as surprised as you no doubt is now, but I spent some time with it, contemplated it… I considered visiting you when I heard that you had been wounded on Feros, but it wasn't my place. I hardly know you, and you hardly ever knew me… besides, people would have wondered why an admiral visited a lowly private, even one that was due for the Purple Heart. So… in the end I decided to have it so that I would be the one to present the medal and stitches to you, so that we could meet… you okay?"

"How… how…" Is all I manage to utter before the ground jumps up to greet me again.

…

It was rather bright, like in a room made of light. He couldn't really see, at first, only feel the fabric that held his arms strapped tightly to his body. _A strap jacket? Of course…_ he thought to himself. Suicide attempts often led to one being suspected of insanity, or perhaps something else. For reasons he did not know, he had been deemed the former. Perhaps it had been Tara who had made them believe he was insane, or maybe it was those who had caught him. Maybe he had rattled of names from the Normandy, names he should not know, spilled military secrets, said things that had reached the ears of the wrong people, caused them to have him stown away._ For fucks sake, my head is killing me…_ He thought, gripping for his forehead, only to be reminded that his hands were strapped alongside his body.

"Um… Erh… Nurse? He… he is waking up, I think… should I stay here or…?" He could hear the voice of a woman. She sounded nervous. She sounded… synthetic.

"Ngggghhhh… my fucking head… Tara, is that… you?" He could hear his own voice, but the words tasted sour, as if he had been force-fed something he didn't like. Perhaps painkillers or sedatives. He could hear another person answer her, but he couldn't make out the words. Looking to his right, he could make out a fuzzy image of a person with colors of different shades of green.

"Magnus… will you… will you tell me now, what… are you okay?" She asked. The fuzzy image slowly became sharper, revealing his Quarian friend on a chair next to him. He was also lying in a bed with overly-soft pillows and thick madras. The whole place smelled of antiseptics.

_Hmpf… hospital…figures._

"Yeah… yeah I'm… I think I'm fine…"

"Keelah, I'm glad to hear that. You have no idea how scared I was when I found out that… what?" She stopped talking in response to the look Magnus was sending her. It wasn't a look that said 'Shut up', it was more a look that said 'I need to tell you something'. And it scared her.

Magnus sighed before he started, knowing that what he was going to say would require him to be as gentle as possible, use all the right words and avoid the subject of his life before he met Jane;

"Tara… I'm going to… tell you something… it's kind of… can you shut the door or something?" He said, looking towards the white door that led to some kind of hallway. Nodding, Tara got up and closed the door, locking it for safety's sake. When she got back on her chair, neither said a word until Magnus breathed in heavily, almost looking ashamed. But what he felt, was fear. Fear and anxiousness. What if she would not believe him, think him insane? He had certainly given her ground to think so, what with his attempted suicide and all. At least, she wouldn't think he was lying, as no one would kill themselves for a lie. So, it was either that she believed him, and then whatever insanity would come from that, or that she believed him crazy, and either fled, or took it upon herself to get him relocated. Neither was a prospect he was looking forward to.

"Okay… okay…Tara… do Quarians believe in re-incarnation?" He asked, throwing out his question as casually as humanly possible.

"In… in re- in re-incarnation? I'm not sure I know what that is."

"Oh dear…" He said, biting his lips. _Bragi, give me the words… don't let me fuck this up._

"Well… re-incarnation is the concept of a person being reborn in a new body when the vessel of his soul decays. It is from human Buddhism and Hindu, but Christianity, Paganism and Islam has it as well."

"Oh… no, I don't think we do, not in that sense. When someone dies, they become one with the ancestors, watching over my people. I think humans have this as well, no?"

"Yeah, they are called Angels… the guys and girls who join the ancestors. But… that is not what I wanted to talk about."

"What then? You know I won't be mad if it's because you've committed some kind of crime before we met. I won't judge you because of that."

"No it's… it is not that. Well, some things I've done over the years may be considered war crimes, minor ones, but still… oh please don't look at me like that, I didn't butcher a village like… like Jane did… I shot a prisoner. Humans consider that a war crime when it is a prisoner of war… sorry, I…" He could see that Tara had been taken aback by his words, as if she had done something wrong.

"It's okay… I suspected something like that all along… well, after you told me about Jane."

"Right… now I don't know how to continue… I never even told her what I am going to tell you… and I knew Jane for more than five years…" He said, looking at his hands, noticing that the handicapped hand had been applied new bandages, tubes and other stuff he didn't recognize.

"Why don't you just say it out loud? I'm sure I've heard more terrible things than what you could tell me." She said, a bit of confidence in her voice. Whether it was real or forced, he could not tell.

_Should I just say it? Just spill it to her?_

"I really doubt that Tara." He said, actually gaining a slight smirk on his lips. He cursed himself for it. now was not a time to smile. He was about to seal his own fate.

"Try me." She said, now more determined than confident. Magnus inwardly groaned, smacking himself for even having brought it up. If he could just take all the words back, think up some other reason he had tried jumping. All of this could have been avoided. But of course he had to tease her, so to speak. He just had to make her interested in his story. Now, she would have to learn it all, or hate him for it. In a way, he didn't really care. It wouldn't matter much, as long as he could find a way to get off world. But then again, what would he do then? Jane was gone, his life was gone. So, in the end it would be best if Tara believed him, and didn't hate him for it, neither for having kept it a secret for her all this time.

"Alright… if you really thinks so: I'm dead." He said, managing to get it out without stuttering as he had feared he would. The ridiculousness of the words didn't sink in until after a few second.

"Eh… I think my translator just glitched… it sounded like you said you were dead?" Tara said, sounding insecure again.

"No… you heard right. I have been exposed to what people call re-incarnation. I… I think I should start at the beginning. About two or so months ago, I was walking the Citadel with Jane."

"Y-yes, I know. You told me, and then she was killed, right?" Tara said, sounding like she didn't understand what the purpose of this was, why he was saying that he had been re-incarnated.

"No… I was the one who was killed. When I was bleeding out, Jane was hunched over me, crying her eyes out. It was the only time other than after the Batarian colony I have seen her cry. When I slipped away, I… I entered a void, like if you were sucked into outer space, only I could breathe there, I could speak there… and I wasn't alone. There was a person there, if you would call him…it that. Humans know him as the Grim Reaper, I think, but all races identify him with death. I think so at least… Next thing I know, I'm lying on a toilet here on Illium, dressed in that weird coat, and… well, that's pretty much it. I spent the next two months making a living by playing security on Eternity, beating up or chasing off people looking for trouble. I… was always wanted to ask people if they knew anything about Jane, about Shepard. But each time I was about to ask, I lost my nerve, fearing I would get the response I received from you… that it wasn't her… so… that's pretty much it… now you know about me, about my past… I know there is no way to prove it, no way to convince you that I'm telling the truth… but that's really it… at first I thought I had just been revived in the same universe, but now I know that Jane isn't Commander Shepard, that… that she… doesn't even exist here." He said, finally lifting his eyes from the sheets covering his body waist down. He wasn't too surprised to see Tara shaking, probably having just been confirmed in her suspicion that he was insane.

_Great… just fucking great… there goes my only friend here… and my ride to wherever the hell I would wanna go to die… of course, it just had to happen right? I just had to tell her, didn't I? Whenever I say to myself that this can't get worse, the universe just fucking loves proving me wrong, doesn't it? Sigh… here I thought she would ac-_

"Is that why you tried jumping?" A voice suddenly cut him off, causing him to snap back to reality. Looking at Tara, he noticed she had stopped shaking, instead now wringing her wrist at a pace that would put Tali to shame. At first, he didn't fully believe what he was hearing. She had just asked him a question in a way that implied that she didn't consider him a liar or insane. The insane part was still possible, so he didn't hold his breath. She had probably just pressed a button for the nurses and was now just making sure he didn't try something stupid.

_Can't bite my tongue when I'm talking, can I?_

He didn't quite know how to respond, so he simply nodded slowly, averting her eyes with the last movement. He could feel a lump pressing its way upwards in his throat.

_Fuck… not now… I… Jane, I need you…_

"I… I can't say that I fully believe you… but no one would try and… kill themselves over… a lie, I guess… I don't suppose there is any way at all you can prove it? Anything?" She said.

"I… don't know. I used to work on… on the Normandy… I can describe the crew if… fuck, there isn't even a guarantee it's the same people. For all I know they might all be Quarians, or Anderson hasn't even stepped down anyway…" He said, feeling his mood drop even lower than before, realizing that anything he knew about the others, could just as well be found on the extranet.

"Well… I… if-when you were there… was there at least one Quarian?" Tara asked, gripping the railing on his bed.

"We… I… yes. Yes there was." Was all he managed to say. For some reason, the lump in his throat wouldn't allow him to speak properly.

"What was his name?" She said, looking Magnus straight in the eye… he assumed.

"I… his? I don't… the only Quarian on board was a girl named Tali… I knew it had been changed…" He muttered the last sentence, but it still appeared that she heard it.

"This 'Tali'… what was she like?" Tara said, gaining a more interrogating tone.

"Like? As in her personality? Well… for starters she constantly defends your people's actions in the war against the geth. Don't get me wrong, I hate those robot-bastards myself… and…she hated the elevators… God, that reminds me of once where she and Garrus were in an elevator together, and he started going off about how it was the Quarians own fault that they… you, had been exiled, and Tali just ended the conversation with four words: 'I have a shotgun'… who the fuck would have thought those two would end up toge- I mean… She was also eager to share your people's history, which is pretty much how I know all I do about you and the fleet, Kar'Danna included. I know what she looks like, purple realk and otherwise dark colors besides a white sort of line going over her chest… she wears a combat knife in her boot, and… she had this adorable habit of wringing her hands and jumping on her heels when she became nervous… She doesn't have the best relationship with her father, to say the least and… I'm… not sure how much else I know, only knew her for about four months before the… incident." He said, exhaling a breath he hadn't been aware of having held in.

"I… I'm not quite sure what to say, to be honest… I mean, this is… wait, is that also why you defended me that night, with the turians? Because I reminded you of her?"

"I… I guess… reminded me of how I met her… " He said, not quite sure why Tara was asking, but he would answer anything she wanted if it meant she wouldn't think him insane.

"How was that?"

"In a back-alley, believe it or not… she was being assaulted by a group of assholes not unlike those turians who tried their luck with you… difference just was, I was armed back then, armored too. Walking around in armor tends to give you a boost to ones confidence, so I took them on. I just hadn't expected Tali to knock them down with a grenade first… I was pretty impressed, and asked Jane if we couldn't have her on the Normandy. Especially because of the evidence she had against Saren for…" He said, but stopped himself dead in it. He could somewhat prove that he really did know Tali, but how was he going to prove shit about the Reapers? Short answer: he couldn't.

"For what?"

"Just for working with the geth… and other stuff…"

"Kazuat… I heard about that. Apparently, Shepard got him ejected from the Spectres. It was pretty big news."

"Let me guess: He himself was then made a Spectre, and this annoying-as-hell bitch named Khalisa ben Sinai al something then gave him a shitty interview?"

"Uhm… no. They said something about the Quarian race not being ready for it, and as for the 'bitch'? I've never heard of her… then again, I don't have a TV, or a screen… or a proper extra-net connection."

"No shit? I noticed that earlier… but… does that mean you don't think I'm insane?" He asked, hope starting to mingle with the fear in his gut.

"Well… not completely. You did try to kill yourself , so all sane I wouldn't call you… still, I don't think you're lying… and… well, I guess I just need some time to… take it all in…"

"I understand… I don't suppose you still want me anywhere near you, and that is understandable. I've kept secrets, lied sort of, been violent and intolerant towards others… not exactly the best friend, no?"

"Well… I… I didn't say that. I mean, sure you may have avoided telling me, lied a bit… but if it's true what you've just told me… I think I would have lied as well… were it me."

"So… you're not going to kick me out?" He said, disbelief in his voice. The situation had just changed from shit to somewhat good.

"I don't think so Magnus. I'm not letting a friend go once I've found one… besides, I can't fix the _Ashantí_ all by myself."

"Thanks Tara… seriously thank you." He said, not being able to hide a small smile.

"It's okay." She said, turning around to face someone entering the room. A human woman looked at the pair, frowning slightly but otherwise didn't say anything;

"We… I think we're ready to leave. Would you mind letting him out?"

…

Fuck man, my head is pretty much killing me right now. I had this insane dream that I was promoted and then I was given a medal and taken to speak to the admiral that gave it to me, and then she turned out to be… oh, right that actually happened.

I sit up on what I notice is a lounge chair, a red one. I'm still in the office where An- where the admiral gave me one hell of a surprise. Speaking of the devil, the woman sits right next to me on one of the normal office-chairs. Hands folded under her chin, she has a slightly worried look in her older green eyes. She doesn't say a word, apparently content with simply looking at me, maybe attempting to find out something about me from what she can see.

_God, how old was I back then? Seven? Eight?_

"_I believe you were actually nine years old. Quite a traumatizing experience."_

"_Crap… you're right…. And that could perhaps explain some of her scars… though they look much fresher… and how the fu- wait, she can't be my dead little sister… that would mean she has been here for more than twenty years, at least! It… it doesn't work like that, does it?"_

"_Hmm, in theory it could. I sent you to a specific date, and therefore you have been here for one two months and six days. If she somehow was sent to a much earlier date, it should explain how she has surpassed her older brother in age."_

"_Damn…"_

"Hey Thomas, you alright?" She says. Okay, she used my first name… I don't think no one even used Shepards first name… so, she must be meaning something with… though, I call John by his first name… crap, I can't figure this out.

"Well… aside from the fact that an elderly admiral claims to be… or, who do you claim to be… Anna?"

"Hmm, I guess I hadn't expected you to believe me… after all, you yourself must be pretty confused about ending up here."

"Not as much as you might think… just a few questions, if that's okay."

"That's acceptable. Fire away." She says, leaning back to the back of the chair. Alright, time to try and find out just what is going on here. A few questions… I think I saw this in a movie once, questions that only the other person can answer… okay, let's see…

"So… just to be clear: you claim to be my deceased sister, am I right?"

"That's the jest of it, yeah. I didn't expect you to just buy it right away-"

"Which I don't. Until I'm convinced otherwise, my little sister died in a car accident when she was four."

"Which is true. I did. But come on, ask your questions." If this should turn out to be a prank, I'm not sure what I'll do.

"Alright… in what city were you born, and on which hospital?"

"I can't remember the hospital, I was only four. But the city was called Aarhus. We… I remember spending some of my childhood in a house made of yellow bricks. I… I remember having a small bike, one of those with three wheels, a red one… I think." I guess that is acceptable. I remember that it was Skejby, but then again, I was alive for more than four years.

"Hmm… would you subject to a DNA-scan? To see if there is a match?" I say, not knowing what else to ask.

"If it will help you, then of course… by the way, you should be more careful with your personal information Thomas, it could easily end up with someone on the crew learning your secret." She says, a worried look on her face. I imagine she hasn't told anyone about her origin, _if_ it really is her.

"A bit too late for that. I told them after our mission on Therum… as you might imagine, they were… surprised… to say the least."

"YOU WHAT?!" She almost shouts at me, flying from her chair. I can't help but flinch at her outburst.

"What the hell is the problem?"

"Wha- do you have any idea what the consequences of that could be? A time-traveler from another dimension? If people know that, there WILL be consequences. How could you be so… so careless?"

"Hey, everything went fine. They accepted it, and I'm actually in a relationship now. So please, cut down on the shouting, my head hurts like hell."

"Well… that sounds… so, they just accepted you, no strings attached?"

"Well… there was some screaming involved, but a friend of mine helped dissolve the situation and explain it all." I say, scratching my oddly barren head. I'm not mentioning Roku more than that unless I'm hundred percent that she's speaking the truth.

"Alright, excuse me for a moment, there's someone I need to call." She says, and before I can even respond, she has gotten up and activated some kind of console;

"Yes, Admiral Anna Vestergaard Cologne Fisher here. Who am I speaking to?... good, send up equipment for blood samples, it's important. Yes, I know that means transporting the thing halfway across the Presidium, but we don't exactly have it in the Omni-tools, now do we? Sorry, just a bit stressed out… no, I don't need… yes, how soon can it be here? Good, I'll be waiting…" She says, pressing the console again. I'm not sure what to say. She just… ordered a small hospital up here?

"_Not really, just equipment for taking a blood sample and checking the DNA."_

"_That was fast…"_

"_Speaks for her, I guess…just a question: if she turns out to actually be your sister, can I speak to her?"_

"_Sure, go ahead… spray your thunder-like voice all over the human embassy… no one will notice I'm sure."_

"_I'll take that as a no then…"_

Twenty minutes later, a sample of blood has been taken from both me and Anna, and the doc is running it through the gel-plate. Ash is standing next to me, having been let in on what's going on. it would be quite hard to hide it when the machine was rolled through the room outside. The process reminds me of something we used to do back in High-school, but this seems like it is a bit more complicated. After some minutes, the machine hooked to the gel gives a small ping. _Well… here we go I guess…_

"Well… the results show that there is a match of 99.87 percent between the samples… so, medicinally speaking you are related." The doc says, showing us a picture of the different strands. I don't really get what this is, what I'm looking at. I mean, I know that it is a pic that shows the DNA, but I have no idea how to read it.

"So… you spoke the truth ma'am?" Ash says, looking at Anna with a look that can only be described as utter confusion and surprise. I can't say I'm much better. There is just one thing left:

"_Roku… this is the only time I'll ask you this, but… take a look inside Anna's head. Check her past from birth to now."_

"_That might take some time…"_

"_How soon can it be do-"_

"_Done…. I checked. Anna was killed in a car accident on May twelfth, 2004… she re-emerged onboard the SSV Atrian, where she was found and adopted by Alexander Cologne and his Sarah Cologne… as far as I can see, she always retained memories from her first four years, vaguely remembering her real family. She apparently never told anyone of her past, probably because she over time became uncertain of whether or not it had been real… for reasons unknown, she regained all her memories about her childhood. It could be that it was caused by your appearance here, but I'm not sure."_

"_Wow… that was fast… so, she is the real deal?"_

"_I believe so… for some reason, you do not seem thát startled anymore."_

"_Yeah… I guess that dying twice, mind-melding with an Asari, seeing Xenomorphs, two different Shepards, people from other dimensions and, oh yeah, meeting a divine being interested in human TV… all that can make you look at life differently. Honestly, I doubt anything can surprise me anymore."_

"Yes I did Williams. I still do not understand how, but your boyfriend here is my big brother… though I should probably say kid brother now…"

"You know, if this had been two months ago, I would probably have gone crazy now… and wait… how did you know that Thomas and…"

"Oh please, I could see it in my own daughter when she looked like that at a boy, so I could recognize it anywhere." Oh dear… wait, _daughter_? She… well, given her age, I guess I shouldn't be that surprised to know it, but… _scratch what I said before, I can still be surprised…_

"Well… that was probably the last thing I expected to hear… so… you're a mother? That's kinda cool. How old are you by the way?"

"My Thomas, is that something you ask a woman? Williams, you need to keep him reined in." Anna says, chuckling. She then continues;

"Well… I'm 62 by now, and since I don't expect you to still remember my birthday, I'll just tell you now. It's June, the 1st actually. You owe me for fifty-eight years of birthday presents Thomas, better get a move on."

"Well, I… I…"

"Oh for Christ sake, I was joking. Did you lose your sense of humor when you got here? By the way, how did you get here?" Anna asks, looking at me with curious old eyes. I still can't get over how much she resembles Jane. An old version that is.

"Well… long story short, same as you did. I was hit by a train and sent here by Roku." I say, ignoring the look of horror on Anna's face. Or, trying to. _fuck… _

"Dear God… mum and dad must have been… Oh God…"

"Yeah…"I say, looking at the floor; "I've been told they didn't handle it that well."

"For fucks sake… the universe just hates our family huh?" Anna says, gripping the arm on her chair hard enough to leave a mark in the rubber.

"I guess… but if you have a daughter now… that at least means that you have a new family, right?"

"Yes, but believe me, there isn't a day where I don't wish for our parents to be able to have seen their granddaughter. Don't get me wrong though, I cherish and love my foster parents, they brought me up, fed me, educated me… they will always be in my thoughts… but I never told them about my past either. Unless you count the crying for my mum and dad back then for telling… well, let's move on from these moody topics, shall we? Find amusement in the fact that you're and uncle, and that your niece is older than you. That's probably a rare thing." She says, smiling. This is insane… less than ten years ago, I lost my four year old little sister… now, I'm meeting her again, as a grown woman with kids… is there really no border for the insanity of this place? I wonder if this would be a good time to start considering that deal between the Alliance and the Quarians

"Yes… but, there is actually something I would like to talk to you about…"

"Well, I'm not doing anything the next two hours, so… shoot." Alright, this is gonna take some skill to pull off;

"Ash, can you contact Kaidan? He's got the schematics on his Omni-tool. Can you get him to send them to your tool?" I say, turning to face Ashley next to me. She looks like she is a bit surprised over suddenly being pulled back into action;

"Sure, just give me a sec." Buuuuut, she doesn't seem to mind it anyway;

"Hey Kaidan… yeah it's me. Listen, Thomas asked if you could send me some kind of schematics and such that he said you had… I don't know… probably… guns and a gunship? Okay… yeah, they are received. Thanks, see you back on the ship." She says, ending the conversation.

"Well? I'm curious now, what is it?" Anna says, eying Ash's now glowing Omni-tool. Ash looks up, meeting the my sisters gaze. _Sister… Divines, it has been a while since I used those words… _

"Well don't look at me, I've no idea. Apparently this is Kaidan's and Thomas's little secret." She sends me an annoyed look as she speaks, letting me know that she's probably not too happy about not having been told. I just smile, trying to soften her up. Sighing, she opens the file Kaidan sent her, causing a hologram to appear.

For a few seconds, no one speaks. Even I am baffled. _What the fuck? I never told Kasumi to get that! Or that! And… where the hell did she find that?_

What we're looking at is no longer just a collection of guns and a single dropship from Tequila's original universe… it's… I'm not even sure if I ever mentioned any of this to anyone else… _That… that's a… _I lean in closer to be absolutely sure. _Holy Divines and Daedra! Where the fuck did she get the plans for the USCM Marlow? And… that looks like… Kasumi, I swear if it wasn't because I was taken, I would kiss you when I see you the next time! _

In front of me, just next to the Cheyenne-Gunship, a picture, complete with blueprints, descriptions and everything, hovers in the air over Ash's arm.

An LA/AT Gunship. _Fuck! Don't faint now! Holy fucking hell this is awesome!_

"Ahem…" The older woman says, finally cutting through the silence; "What are we looking at here?" She says, examining each picture and schematic closely.

"A lot of these designs I've never even seen before… actually, scratch that… I've never seen _any_ of this before. Thomas, just what _is_ this?" Anna says, looking at me with confusion in her eyes.

"I'm pretty damn curious too… none of this looks like Alliance designs… or Turian or well, anything…"

"Well… my, ehm… supplier, has access to… a lot of unusual stuff… I'm not sure if all of this is solid, but I can guarantee there is some tech in some f these that will, to put it mildly, kick the weapons market in the balls." I say, not really knowing if I should tell Anna about Kasumi. Hey cut me some slack here, I wasn't prepared to present all of this _now_… hell, and if someone had told me I would be presenting it to my sister of all people, I would probably have kicked him in the balls for making fun of my dead sister.

"_You know, I think it's going pretty well so far… and why should I cut you some slack? Am I demanding too much?"_

"_Well… no, it's just a way of speaking… I think. Anyway, I just haven't prepared a sales speech, so I'm pretty much fucked if she won't buy it first time."_

"_Considering the LA/AT alone, I wouldn't be worried about that. You should be more worried about making the Alliance set up a deal with the Migrant Fleet, and how you are supposed to get the Salarians to join, I simply don't know…"_

"_Well, that surely helps my confidence…"_

"_I aim to please."_

_Mara..._Does he ever get tired of doing that? Seriously, he is supposed to be an ancient divine being, and he never stops trying to get under my skin… well, more than he actually already is.

"Well, still I would like to know what… this… is." Anna says, enlarging the Cheyenne gunship; "It looks quite… old-fashioned, yet rather new… what is this 'Cheyenne-gunship'? I don't see anywhere in the schematics where the Eezo core is located… don't tell me it doesn't even have one?"

"Well, not exactly. It's jet propelled and capable of long range support missions, as well as orbital drops. The design just hasn't changed much since there was no need for it."

"I can imagine it must use quite a bit of fuel then… it doesn't say here, what's the armament?" She says, reading through the files; "Ah, found it… hmm… quite interesting… yes, I think we can use this… top-speed is at a nice 350kph… and… wait, where's the shielding on this thing?" She says, looking up from the screen. _Oh boy… I knew this would come up_.

"Well… it doesn't have any. The gunship relies on armor, speed and lethality, but it should be relatively simple to fit shield generators on it."

"Hmm, that could be done, of course… I'll have to take it to command to check if they want to use it… what else have you got?"

"Well… besides from a line of weapons that in theory should ignore shields, though barriers still seem to stop them. Found that out on Therum"_ Fucking Krogan… Hmpf, 'Space turtle'… good one Tequila…_

"Ignores shields? Let me see that." Anna says, enlarging the image and description of the Pulse rifle. I'd wager, that if she hadn't know that the clones have some even more high-tech weapons, her eyes would by now be out of her head;

"This thing fires… actual ammunition? Who would want that over heat sinks? Still… if it gets the job done… I don't know about this one, but… do you have something similar for long-range firefights?"

"Yeah, but that too fires shells." I say, pointing out the picture of the M2A4 Sniper Rifle. This thing could be the perfect birthday present for Garrus, if Turians even have birthdays that is.

"Looks a bit… simple, doesn't it?" Ash says, looking in on the gun since she is actually the one projecting it.

"Looks, but isn't. It fires anti-material ammunition, making it a living hell for anyone out there, armored up or no. other than that, it's got a neat passive motion detector, enabling the shooter to find targets cloaked or otherwise hidden. It also comes with an in-built IFF-detector, so you can pick out the bad guys in a crowd of good guys in a blizzard."

"That seems… useful. What's the effective range?"

"As far as I know, in good conditions it's 2.9 kilometers."

"Well, that's considerably more than the Mantis-rifle. If nothing else, we can replace the ammunition with heat-sinks and replace the Mantis with this one. Anything else you would like to show me?"

"Sure, but I think I'll keep the bigger toys for after I've been with the Salarian Councilor."

"Why? What are you going there for?" _Oh… my big fucking mouth!_

"Well, I may have said some bad things about one of the councilors, and…" I start, but am cut off from an unexpected angel;

"Christ Thom, she's your sister. All the councilors are probably going to know as soon as you've been at Valern anyway. Just tell her already, will you?" Okay, see that was not what I expected. Ash was the last person I expected wanting Roku out and play, especially after her reactions the last time she heard him. And what happened the last time.

"Ash? Are you… I mean, there are other people nearby, they could hear us."

"I doubt it. If the room was bugged, I bet either Roku or Tali would have picked it up from long away."

"But…"

"_She makes a good point you know. There are no bugs in this room, neither are there in the one where Shepard vas Normandy nar Rayya and Tali are waiting with Jane… we're in the clear, so to speak."_

"_Well, then please try and keep it down, will you?"_

"_You're letting me speak to her?"_

"_Only if she asks. Otherwise stay silent. I don't know if she's prone to heart attacks… she's an old lady now." _

"_Fine… but do try and steer the conversation towards it. I love to watch people's reactions when I pop out."_

"_That's… that's pretty sick Roku."_

"_What can I say? Your brain, your influence."_

"Fine… but you can't tell anyone, not even Anderson about this, okay?" I say, looking at the door to make sure it's locked. The windows are as well, and the one that isn't, I quickly shut;

"Jesus little brother, why the secrecy?" _Little brother? I guess physically I am… _

"Well… you see, when I got here, it was because I died, right?"

"Yes, and this 'Roku' sent you here, right?"

"Right… well, when I died, I found myself in a void, like a biiiig dark room, with no body. Then, there was this voice that spoke to me, offering me three choices. One was being brought back to life on Earth ano 2011… but in a shape that would cause Stephen Hawking to smile. The other was Heaven, I said fuck no. well, not 'fuck' no, but just no. Anyway, the last option was then re-incarnation, which brought me to Eden Prime. You probably know the rest of my service record from there, but all along, I wasn't alone. Well, besides the rest of the crew that is."

"Meaning?" Anna says, looking at me with a raised brow.

"Well, the voice from the void followed me. He has been in my head all along. He gives me advice, tips and such… and he kept me alive more than once."

"Plus…" Ash says, causing us both to look at her; "He helped you spill the beans to us. Damn was I scared when he popped out and started talking." Ash says, looking like she is close to a chuckle.

"_Told you. It's gold to watch for the reactions."_

"_Shut it. It's still pretty creepy."_

"Well… I would… be surprised, I guess, if it were anyone but you… maybe. But… can I, you know, can he pop out and talk like right now? Can he hear us?"

"_**Yes I can certainly hear you Miss Fisher."**_ For the love of…

"_I didn't ask you to come out!"_

"_No, but she did."_ I am about to retaliate when I notice Anna's face. Unlike pretty much everyone else, she isn't covering in fear or dropping her jaw at the sound of Roku's speech;

"Well… this is definitely interesting. I suppose you must be Roku?"

"_**You are correct in that assumption… and may I add that you are the first not to freak out when hearing me for the first time? I'm rather impressed."**_

"Yeah well, when you've been in the Alliance Military for as long as I have, it takes a bit more than ghosts to freak me out."

"_**I beg your pardon? Ghost? I am no such thing young lady. I am a being of divine magnitude, capable of sending people across the barriers of reality, taking control of their bodies and so much more."**_

"I'm not exactly young… and what other powers do you have then?"

"_**You are all young compared to me. I have always existed, and will till the day my master ends me. My powers stretches far beyond what you can even comprehend."**_

"Again, such as?" Anna says. This is actually turning out to be pretty interesting. Anna and Roku are battling wits it seems, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say Anna is gaining the upper hand;

"_**I can control humans no matter where they are. I can break through any system faster than an A.I. I can keep the dead walking, and go beyond reality itself. I think that matches whatever you might be able to do."**_

"Quite so… still, it is difficult to apply those skills to a large scale… and I don't know if I feel safe knowing that you can break whatever firewall you encounter. Not even the geth can do that." Anna says, looking at me. Okay, this is getting on my nerves. Not to mention that the headache is growing in strength.

"Can the two of you cut it out please? My head is killing me whenever he pops out."

"_**Right, apologies for that, but I simply could not resist the opportunity of having an intelligent conversation for once."**_

"What's that supposed to mean?" I say, forgetting for a moment that he is in my head. That way I could simply think my words. But no, of course I had to keep the conversation going.

"_**Well, you are not exactly the very definition of a genius, even though you do have your occasional glimpse of brightness."**_

_Sigh…_

"Now, that Roku will no longer be disturbing our meeting, can we get back to the last of the weapons, or do we call it a day?" I say, looking at the two women. Now, _there_ is the look of sheer confusion and shock I was hoping for from Anna;

"How can you just go back to that? Like nothing happened? I mean, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, or even the century. If we could conduct a bit of surgery on your brain, I'm sure we could-"

"No. I am NOT going there again. I swear each time I go to the hospital, people want to check my brain. Face it, you can't find him in there. The closest you'll come is to find that his influence causes me to be autistic of appearance. That is all there is to it."

"Fine… I should have guessed. From what I heard from Emhart, you are piss-scared of needles. So sedating you would probably go the wrong way anyway…"

"Thank you, thank you…"

"Now… can we get on with the weapons or what?" Ash suddenly says.

"I never imagined you would be in such a hurry Ash." I say, smiling. Her left arm is shaking.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to have kept my arm up all the time? I can't fucking feel it anymore." She says, a light sneer in her voice.

"Well, I think we still have some weapons to go over, don't you too Ash?" I know, I'm a douche bag, but I simply can't resist pissing her off a bit. I mean, it's all friendly. She's probably going to retaliate later anyway.

"Oh, you are so going to meet the mat when we get back Thom." What did I tell you?

"_Me?"_

"_Mara… give me strength…_"

"Also…" I say, remembering the deal; "There is something I would like to talk to you about Anna."

…

"You two sure took you time in there. What did the admiral want?" Tali says, getting up from the chair she looked suspiciously comfortable in. somehow I doubt she minded the waiting. Nic is sitting in a chair opposite from Tali's, spreading his arms and legs like a dressed up starfish.

"Well, I'm not sure how to begin, so I'll just put it on the table as it is… she is my sister." I say. I swear, if Quarians could mope… well, they can, but you can't see it because of the mask;

"Okay, I'm pretty sure my translator just fucked up… you said she is your sister?" John says, disbelief in his voice. I just nod.

"But… but she must be at least fifty!"

"Sixty-two actually." I say, rubbing my eyes with my right hand. I don't trust the new one near my eyes yet.

"And, not to shoot you down, but didn't you arrive in… well, here, on your own?"

"I did. Anna just arrived fifty-eight years ago."

"Thomas… even from you, that is a lot to believe." John says, crossing his arms.

"_**Well, then hear it from me Shepard vas Normandy. Anna Fisher was killed at the age of four, ended up here without my knowing, and was adopted. Since then she has been serving in the Alliance military and navy, riding through the ranks till she reached Admiral. She took notice of Thomas's being here about two months ago. I would not be surprised if she herself had made it so that she would be the one to be here today."**_Oh, my fucking head!

"_Please Roku… please not that loud… my head is killing me as it is, and you popping out again isn't helping."_

"_Sorry."_

"Well, after all I've seen, I'm not that surprised. Hell, I wouldn't even jump if _my _parents had ended up here as well. All dead people seem to do so apparently." Jane says, emerging from wherever she had been standing right before.

"Yeah, it kinda gives a new meaning to the old phrase 'I see dead People', doesn't it?" I say, grinning. Apparently, I'm the only one who gets the joke, as the others simply sigh.

"What? I thought it suited the situation." I say, throwing my arms out. Ash just shakes her head.

"Thom… so far I've observed only two things you can't do: Tell Jokes and keep conscious around your idols. Actually, I guess I should consider that a compliment to myself, seeing as how you reacted on Eden Prime." Ash remarks, causing me to grin;

"Well, be glad you haven't seen me drunk or dance yet."

"See, _now_ I'm scared." She says, punching me on the shoulder. I flinch in fake pain, something that always causes me to smile when it works;

"Ow Chief, at least wait with the beatings till we're actually sparring."

"No promises honey. I might get violent all of a sudden." She says, flashing a devilish grin.

"Great… now I have to be on my toes on _and_ of missions… what the fuck is R&R?" I grumble, nudging my head. The little scene Roku just made didn't help… and great, now the buzzing and humming is back. God, my brain must hate me. Or, it's trying to kill itself. Whatever works.

"Now, if the talks with the admi- your sister is done, can we have the meeting with Valern done? I think Nihlus is waiting for us."

"Wait, Nihlus is waiting for us? How long has he been doing that?" Nic asks from the chair, apparently not willing to give up his new throne.

"Since I messaged him five minutes ago. He is waiting by the elevators to the Presidium. And I'm sorry Nicolai, but this will be a closed meeting. Meaning you, Tali, Ashley and Jane won't be attending. You'll have some free time to go shopping if you still need anything, otherwise expect us at the ship in two hours. Ashley, can you message the rest of the crew on shore leave, tell them that they have to be back on the ship by 22:00 Citadel time. Dismissed."

"Oh well… see you back at the ship guys." Nic says, reluctantly getting out of his chair. That's when I notice a few shoe-marks on the cushioning on it. _Man, Udina is going to have a stroke when he sees what Nic has done to the chair._ I can't help but smile when thinking about it. _Oh, I'm a bad person…_

…

"Good to see you up and around again Fisher. I have to admit, the shore leave was a bit dull without you to mess up something or cause a minor riot." Nihlus says as we step into the elevator. I just shrug;

"Hey, be glad Sparatus isn't at this meeting, then I could give you a riot." I say, grinning at the Spectre.

"Spirits… Sometimes I have to wonder if Williams sees a companion in you, or a child…" He says, massaging his faceplates with a talon. If I should guess, then I'd say the guy looks tired. Deadbeat is more like it actually.

"Tough day?" I ask, noticing a small smear in the face painting under his right eye.

"Let's just say Fisher, that if I ever were to push you forward as a candidate for the Spectres, Spirits forbid it, it would be more of a punishment than a reward."

"That bad huh?" John asks, joining the conversation.

"Shepard, be glad the council will most likely refuse every attempt at having you made a Spectre. I swear the paperwork alone equals the Human Hell. The mission to Therum alone took more than five hours to write a report on, and I'm not even going into details on how much a pain in the ass the report on Feros was. I feel like my talons are ready to come right of."

"Damn… if it wasn't for the indoctrination, then now I would understand why Saren left with a flipped middle finger… if turians have that." I say, feeling a bit sorry for Nihlus.

"Oh yes… I have been on the verge of a shootout myself a few times. But, a few cups of coffee, and I last the entire night… well, awake that is. Doesn't help on the headache though…"

"You as well?" I say, scratching my head.

"Yes… take a piece of advice from an experienced Spectre: Getting… whatever you'll call it, by a giant plant… that headache takes more than a few weeks to go away, and the images… makes me wonder if it was something similar you experienced…" _I very much doubt that Nihlus… still…_

"Perhaps… it's starting to fade at least. The hallucinations I mean." Only they are not. I can still see Liara in front of me, ready to snap open her own neck to spit her own stomach-contents at me, or John, face torn and eyes like fucking flashlights… Man, where the fuck is Kelly when you need her?

"Good. We need to be fit for duty when the Council gives us our next mission… besides… ah, we're here." Nihlus says, noticing the green light above the door. _Showtime… you ready?_

"_Am I the materialization of the Fire Nation's Avatar?"_

"_Ehm… not the answer I expected, but… I guess I'll take that as a yes."_ I think, stepping out of the elevator. The council-floor still looks exactly like in the game, except for the now real trees and better graphics.

"So, are we going to stand in front of Valern while Roku just goes for it?" I ask, looking at Nihlus while we walk around the large ring that makes up a hole in the floor. _Funny, I could have sworn there used to be water here…_

"No, Valern has set aside his own office for the meeting. The podium would not be that discreet, so he is taking some precautions. Just to be safe." John says, shooting what I guess is a sour glance at one of the Turians standing by the wall. Looks like he is in a conversation with a volus, though they don't seem to be saying anything. Or, it could just be that I can't see them speak. I don't know.

"Sure, so… lead the way." I say, gesturing at Nihlus to take point.

Instead of going for the Podium, where all the normal meetings are, Nihlus leads us into the side-offices under the arcs stretching out above us. I don't think I've ever seen this place, not even in the LP's. As Nihlus approaches the door closest to us, he palms a panel, causing the door to light up. It opens, and we all go inside, Nihlus first.

The inside of the office looks like it's inspired by Japanese art and style, consisting of few pieces of furniture, decorations in the form of several vases, all of them white with blue patterns. A single fireplace is cozying up the place, giving it an almost manor-like atmosphere. A big window at the back provides a great view over the Citadel and the purple galactic mist or nebular. In front of the window, a big metal desk is placed, kinda cutting away from the otherwise eastern theme. Behind the desk, I can make out the head of a Salarian, turned towards the window on a big chair. _Hmpf, just like in a movie. And then we turn him around and find him dead or something… oh well, let's get this over with._ I think as Nihlus announces our arrival. There is no response. John moves to turn the councilor around, probably being pissed over being ignored.

"_Dear Dofrat! Get out of-"_

"Hey Valern, I'm talking to… BOSH'TED!" John shouts, jumping back from the chair. It whips around when he does so, revealing the councilor with a thin line of green seeping from a gash on his throat. _Talos!_

"What in the name of… what's that in his lap?" Nihlus refrains from shouting, noticing what looks like a small thermo-can in Valern's lap. Moving in closer, I can see that it almost looks like a…

"_Run you idiot!"_

"_What?!"_

"_It's a bomb!"_

_Fuck!_ I almost jump away from the chair. Turning towards the two aliens, I grab each of them, pulling them towards the door;

"We have to get out of here, there's a-"

The entire room is engulfed in flames when the bomb goes off, completely destroying it and everything in it.

…

_Elsewhere. _

_Same time _

The artificial eyes gave a blue glow before closing, the man savoring his cigarette. For the most wanted man in the Galaxy next to Saren Arterius, he did not suffer any of the inconveniences that the words 'being on the run and hiding from everyone' normally entailed. Exhaling, he drew a long trail of smoke through the room, visible in the light from the dying star.

Puffing on the cigarette, he mashed it into the ashtray on his chair, picking up a small glass of whiskey instead. Swirling the drink, he noticed the sound of footsteps from behind him.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?" The woman said, stopping few feet behind the chair.

"Yes…" he said, slowly turning around in his chair to get a better look at the woman; "I would like to know how Project Protégée is coming up. Any updates?" He said, letting his cold blue eyes glide over the raven-haired woman in front of him.

He had never disapproved of her choice of uniform, merely wondered. The skintight suit didn't do much to hide her forms, neither was it the point. She was supposedly the perfect human woman, spotless and beautiful to the artificial point. He knew this was a sore point to her, that she indeed was artificial. Nevertheless, she had one of the best brains he had ever met, and possessed a sometimes outright inhuman sharp wit and mind. He knew she had achieved the nickname, the 'Ice queen', as she had a single flaw. Being infertile had left her desperate, he knew. It was not something they discussed, not even when in the best of moods. Due to her desperation, the woman had had multiple short-lived affairs with different men, none of them for love or companionship. From what his sources had told him, the latest experiment from her side had been one of his top operatives, a man named Kai Leng. Each day, he wondered why he had taken the young man in. granted, he was an exceptional assassin, probably one of the very best there was, but he had some rather radical viewpoints. Cerberus was dedicated to protect and advance humankind, but Leng had an almost brutal approach to it, carelessly eliminating anyone in his way. Especially if they were aliens. Taking another sip of his beverage, he nodded to Miranda, the Cerberus officer in front of him;

"Well, we have had some… complications." She said, sounding somewhat insecure.

"Please, elaborate." He said in a calm voice. A voice that never betrayed his emotions.

"After the subject escaped eleven months ago, we have had difficulty tracking it. We suspect it is mainly due to him staying out of public light and spaces."

"Until a few months back?" He said, more a statement than a question.

"Yes. Subject Shepard being appointed captain of the cutting-edge frigate _the Normandy_ was, to be frank, quite a hurdle in our way."

"Yes I know… reclaiming him would mean removing one of the few threats to Arterius, leaving him free to attack more of our colonies."

"So… we give up on him? Sir, he is vital to the project."

"I know, but for the moment we don't have someone capable of replacing him… so we wait."

"Yes sir… also, I have received news from operative Leng." She said, shifting her stance.

"I'm listening." He said, inhaling the scent of his priceless Bourbon.

"The hit was a success." She said, frowning. She might approve of removing threats to Cerberus, but from what she had been informed, Valern had not had Cerberus on his top-agenda. The assassination of a councilor could also bring chaos to the galactic community, putting negative focus on humanity, the newcomers.

"Good… any witnesses?"

"None for the act itself, but three were engulfed in the explosion."

"Did they survive?"

"Leng didn't stay around to check." She said, remembering the description of the group: a human, a Turian and a Quarian. She had immediately recognized the turian by description. It had to be the Turian Spectre Nihlus Kryik. He had caused enough trouble for Cerberus for her to know him in an instant.

"Hmm… that was sloppy of him. When he returns, send him to me. I'll have a small chat with him." He said, savoring the last droplets of whiskey before he put down the glass.

"Yes sir." She said, leaving the room.


	22. Dark Tidings

**A/N:**

**Alright, a new chapter already. Yes, I know there was some... dissatisfaction, about the previous chapter. Yes, I killed Valern. Yes, killing the brain of the Council was a risky move, considering how he was the only one likely to belive facts when hearing them... but it is all ****_planned_. Trust me. It might not seem like it at times, but I do actually know what I'm doing. Well, most of the time.**

**Anyway, the poll is doing quite well, relatively speaking. so far nine people have visited it, and for reasons I have a hard time understanding, four out of five have written Master Chief in the section with the (Completely different person whatsoever) option. And only two people have chosen the Master Chief option in the bottom. That is actually why I added that option... well, never mind. **

**Also, I recieved surprisingly positive feedback on the Cerberus section in the end... I'm doing something good? Man, that's a first :) Well, I guess that just means you'll se more of them eventually.**

**This chapter is my attempt to sort of start ending the Citadel-part so far, so... yeah, we'll see.**

**Enjoy, and I'll see you guys in the bottom.**

* * *

_Dark Tidings_

_Aaarrhhggg… fuck! I can't move!_ There is a huge weight on top of me, forcing me down. I breathe in, almost instantly forced to cough it out as ash and dust fill my lungs. Opening my eyes, I can only see a few inches ahead of me, eyes stopped by a large mass of grey material, possibly steel or concrete.

_Fuck, I'm locked in, I'm locked in!_ Claustrophobia… I hate that fucking disorder. I can't… I have a difficulty being in confined spaces. My breath is getting faster, more forced and strained. I need to get out of here.

"Fi- Fisher! Shepard! Respond!" I can hear a faint voice yell my name. It's disrupted by couching, sounding like whoever it is isn't much better off than me.

"_Thomas, you okay?"_

"_I thought you- fuck- I thought you would be able to tell, I'm buried alive!"_

"_You need to try and get out from there. Nihlus is somewhere around, though I can't get a fix on him yet."_

"_Ooooouuugh…. Yeah, I'll just… lift away the two fucking ton of steel on my body, no sweat."_ I sneer, trying to move my arms. My right arm is bruised and it feels like some kind of thick and warm liquid is flowing over it. _Better not be blood. I am NOT spending an extra second in a hospital, no fucking way._

At least I can still feel it, which means I haven't lost it. I try to move it, but find that it's obstructed by some kind of weight pressing down on it. I can't move it. My left arm is at least better off. It's lying next to me, still attached to my body. Okay, I can also still lift it. That's good. I move my fingers, only to see that the left thumb isn't responding. _Great… so, there must have been some kind of short-circuiting… I can always get it fixed when I get out of here… because I AM getting out of here. _

"Shepard, respond! Fisher… anybody hear me?" Nihlus's voice is getting a bit stronger, although it still sounds like he is far off. I need to get out of here, I can't breathe in confined spaces, I just can't.

"Ni-cough- Nihlus!" I try shouting, even though it means huge amounts of dust getting into my lungs. The worst is, the shout isn't even that loud. I doubt he can even hear me out there.

"Fisher, where are you!?" He shouts. _Thank Mara, he actually heard me._

"Down- Down here!" I shout, hammering on the huge piece of metal on top of me with my left hand.

"Keep talking to me, help is on the way." His voice sounds closer now, like he is moving closer to me. _Awww, my head… I thought I knew what a headache was before…_ a warm feeling is running down my forehead. As it reaches across my lips, I can taste something like iron. I must have some kind of wound or gash on my forehead or somewhere else.

_Well this is just great…_

"_I assume that was sarcasm."_

"_Yeah… now we are right back where we started."_

"_I'm not sure I follow… and you are being surprisingly calm all of a sudden."_

"_Nihlus is outside, he knows where I am. I'm not that scared when I'm not forgotten. And the other thing? Valern was the only one I could tell about this without risking being hauled off by C-Sec. For fucks sake, he was the brain in the council, and now there are only those two bickering idiots left. Tevos and Sparatus… Arkay, why don't we all just commit suicide already?"_

"_I doubt it is that bad… but you have a point. So, what's the plan then?"_

"_I don't know… seriously, my head is killing me and my heart is pounding like fuck… I can't think straight in this place."_ I can't help but notice that most of my uniform is torn and scorched, looking like I've just taken a dive into a furnace, then into a meat grinder. I can't even see my legs as the big metal thing is blocking pretty much all view, but at least I can feel my feet, so I haven't lost them. Still, they hurt like hell. Something really heavy is pressing down on them, and it feels like one of them is broken. _Not again…_

Then I remember something. Talos, I could smack myself for having forgotten it so soon. Putting my left hand on the big piece of debris, I start putting some strain to it. It doesn't move an inch. I continue to add on the pressure, feeling the power pumping through the artificial veins in the arm, the wires and motorized parts buzzing like a swarm of bees. My shoulder starts to hurt, still being mostly organic as it is, it isn't all that fit for a test of strength at this magnitude. The debris starts creaking, only a little, but it still is a sign that I'm doing something right. If I'm lucky, there won't be a big piece of debris ready to fall down and crush my body the second I get this thing removed. _Come on, come on, push you lazyyyyyyyyy fuck!_ I mumble, sneering and cursing under my breath. As I start putting even more strain on it, a small sound in my shoulder starts beeping. _What the?_

"_The V.I. You are straining the arm to the limit."_

"_Bullshit, how much?"_

"_487 kilos"_

"_Mara…"_

I ignore the beeping. I don't care if I short-circuit the arm or tear it off. If I don't get out of here, it won't matter at all.

"Someone, give me a hand here!" A voice sounds. I can't hear who it is, but it isn't Nihlus. It sounds more human. It almost sounds familiar, but I can't tell through all the crap between us. _Okay, last one… last push! Emhart, time to see if you are just a shithead or a genius._ I slam my palm against the metal with all the power I can muster. The sickening crack from my shoulder is overpowered by the loud sound of metal bending and twisting. When I look, I can make out a large bulge, roughly the shape of a hand in the metal. Still, the almost blinding pain starts pouring from my left shoulder. _Fuuuuuu- it hurts! My fucking shoulder!_

"_I warned you! You just dislodged it. You really shouldn't be using that much force."_

"What was that sound? Sounded like… it came from here, keep looking." The voices are closer now, and I can actually pick up the sound of metal and stone being moved around.

"_Yeah well… let's just see if I can't get out from here, alright?"_

"_Need any help?"_

"_No thank you. The last time you saved my life, I spent more than two weeks in a hospital. I need to-"_

"Hey, there's one over here… a Quarian?" I can hear a voice say. It's funny, each time someone talks, it's like they're closer than before.

"Move over, move o- Shepard! Spirits, I was worried. We only- your visor John!" A flanged voice yells. I'm guessing it's either Nihlus or Garrus. The former being the most likely, though I can't remember having heard him ever use John's first name. _Wait a second… Fuck, John's visor! If it's cracked, he'll die! Man, Tali's gonna kill me if that happens…_I can't help a small chuckle at the thought, despite the situation. I really need to prioritize my sense of humor.

The voices are coming closer now, almost as if I'm being lifted up through the rubble, or debris or whatever it is. I can actually pick up some voices now, not only those shouting.

"-Fine, but Keelah, what the hell happened? One second we were… where's Thomas?" I can pick out the synthetic voice of a Quarian. So thank Mara, John is okay… for now. But what if he is infected with something now? His immune system is probably none better than Tali's, so he'll die like the average Quarian if he gets sick.

"We're trying to find him. He may be in this area… we heard a loud noise earlier, as if someone was using a sledgehammer on the debris… Shepard, you need some rest."

"The Hell I do. I'm not sitting down till we've found him." Man, I'm actually popular… or something like that. Never tried that back home, then again, back home I never tried being blown up and covered by debris. These kinds of things tend to put everything in perspective. Then again, so does dying twice I suppose. I heave in my breath, fighting the urge to cough;

"I'm down here _idioter_! (**Idiots) **I shout, banging my limp arm against the metal above me.

"Hey, I heard someone down here! Keep digging." I can hear more rubble being removed, metal screeching as it is scraped against metal, stone and concrete cracking and falling apart. This continues for what seems like an eternity until suddenly a ray of light cuts through the darkness;

"Found him!" one of the men says, proceeding to remove the large piece of metal above me, with the help of several others.

"Took… took you guys long enough…"I say, forming a pained, wry smile.

…

"Now… would you please repeat that, because I'm not sure I heard right." Sparatus says, hovering over me like a goddamn eagle. The fact that most Turians are naturally taller than humans apparently gives him some kind of imaginary advantage over me. I don't know, but he somehow doesn't seem to believe what Nihlus just told him. Hell, looking back at it from the avian ass's point of view, I can see his point. What are the odds that an assassin slipped inside the Council chambers, killed a councilor without even being noticed by Spectres and members of the STG, planted a bomb and got out again. All without bumping into the three of us, but still late enough for Valern's blood to still be flowing from the wound, and for the bomb to have time to spare before blowing up the place? As if that wasn't enough, why hadn't any security cameras caught him? Seriously, that guy was all smoke and fucking mirrors. I doubt even Kasumi could have snuck past that much security. Right now, we are being held, _held_ in one of the bigger offices in the tower, C-Sec military personnel all around us, armed and armored to the teeth.

Slamming his talons down on the table before us, Nihlus growls, looking back up at the councilor of his species, as well as Tevos, who appears to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Sparatus looks more like he could rip Sovereign in half and still have enough rage to take on a Thresher Maw. If Turians could, Sparatus would be red-hot in the face now. He actually scares me;

"Councilor, I've told you twice already. We were headed for a meeting with Valern when all this happened. We entered the office where we were supposed to meet him, only to find him dead from a sliced throat. That was when we discovered a bomb in the room and attempted to get out of it. The bomb went off, sending me flying through the nearest wall and burying Shepard and Fisher in debris." That's pretty much it. When I was dug out, I noticed a hole the nearest wooden wall, about the size of a Turian. When I later learned what had made it, I couldn't help but think that later it might become something to look back on and smile. When I then shared that sentiment, I was brutally shot down. _Guess my sense of humor and timing still sucks…_

John is seated next to me, right arm in a sling. Apparently he had tried shielding us with his biotics, but had been overwhelmed almost immediately, thrown against the far wall before the entire room collapsed, showering him with debris and steel, knocking him out cold. Luckily, the damage to his suit was superficial, resulting in numerous gashes and tears at his uniform and realk, but refraining from penetrating his inner suit. Which is strange, considering that until now I had no idea such a thing was in use. Still, thinking about it, it makes sense. Astronauts didn't run around naked beneath their suits either. Or, I'm pretty sure they didn't. The visor took a bit of damage, cracking in three places. Apparently, as he later told me, that wasn't the first time he had had a visor rendered almost useless by damage like that. I wonder if the other time was on Akuze, or perhaps when Cerberus caught him.

My own uniform is pretty much ready for the dumpster as well. Just as I noticed when I was buried alive, the upper part of it seems to have been exposed to the flame, being eaten away to the hardest fabric on the inside. My legs are hurting like hell, and I've been given a pair of shin-supporters in case of sudden something. They didn't tell me. Or, they probably did, but my ears were still ringing from the explosion, something that oddly enough didn't come until I was pulled from the pile of shit and steel. One of the doctors took one look at my arm and was about to tell me to get to surgery when I told him what kind it was. He actually hadn't noticed that it was cybernetic. Guess there are posers everywhere. That, or Emhart did an even better job than I first thought. Hell, I would probably have been killed down there if it wasn't for the new arm. I was told later, when they examined my legs, that the only thing that had kept them from being brutally cut off, was the fact that I hadn't let up after hitting the metallic plate, turning out to be part of the ceiling, holding it up instead. If I hadn't had the arm, I would now not even be able to outrun Joker. Which would be the biggest joke of them all. The rest of me didn't fare that much better. While my legs were partially shielded from the fire, resulting in a pair of scorched shoes but nothing else, my entire torso was heated up pretty bad, causing some of the metal on my medal to melt, giving the guy on it a weird looking face. My right arm was fractured in four places, torn a deep gash in, as well as, and this is the worst part, all the hairs were burnt from it, leaving it looking like the skin of a baby. I suffered two minor concussions, a gash on my forehead that is now smeared in medi-gel, as well as losing all hair on the right side of my face to the fire. The ironic in all of this is that me and Ash spent almost half an hour shaving and cutting me, only to have half of it burned off. I also got some pretty nasty looking sore burn marks all over the right side of my body, from the neck to the waist, and my vertical scar was reopened. Apparently, that one was also leaking a fair amount of blood, which would explain why it was almost like a small flood. At least it felt like it.

"Yes… the nasty fact about all this simply is that the only people cameras have caught entering that room were Valern and your group. And the only ones to be seen leave were you as well." Sparatus says, running a talon over his face. John almost jumps from his seat at this;

"You're not serious?! Are you suspecting _us_!?" He shouts at the Turian councilor, causing said person to stare at him with anger;

"Of course not Qua- Shepard. I'm simply stating the facts that we have next to nothing on what the hell happened in there. One does not simply waltz by security this high, kill a councilor and buzzes off again, making zero people aware of the murder. It just isn't natural." Sparatus bellows, almost spitting every word out. John slumps back into his seat, glaring at the councilor. For the first time since this conversation began, Tevos speaks up;

"Perhaps the murder happened because of the meeting?" She says calmly, managing to control herself and regain her posture. _Is that… could that actually be true?_

"_I don't know… for once, I'm as much in the dark as you are."_

"_Great…"_

"I doubt it madam councilor. The meeting was only known to the four of us. Not even Valern's bodyguards were supposed to be there." Nihlus says, a hint of embarrassment over the statement. Valern's bodyguards were all STG, and could stop even a pack of krogan on the blood rage before they got to the councilor. If they had been there, maybe he wouldn't be dead, and the assassin would instead. The guy must have been following Valern, waiting till he was completely alone before striking. Less of a mess that way I guess. That is, of course, if you choose to overlook the entire blown up office and the ones next to it having been destroyed as well, with the residents narrowly escaping. One of them, only after dodging a flying turian Spectre who suddenly had emerged from the wall before proceeding to plow into a desk.

"Not even his bodyguards could be trusted?" Sparatus inquires, eying all three of us with a predatory gaze.

None of us answer him, simply looking around in silence. Even Nihlus looks like the space-cat finally got his tongue, being completely mute. The lights in John's eyes are darting from Nihlus to me, probably wondering where the hell we go from here.

"Well?" Sparatus says, his voice now rising a few nodes. His mandibles are constantly flaring in and out, making it look like his head is trying to take off, using a pair of bony wings.

"I…" I am not even remotely sure on what to say. I just know that Sparatus will shoot me down if I start talking about Reapers, and I probably won't fare much better from Tevos. Despite being the conflict-stopper, I don't think she is that much brighter than her turian counterpart. _Valern was the brain on the council, and of course he had to be the one to die. Why the hell not Sparatus? That would even make more strategic sense from the perspective of the council's enemies._

"_Maybe it was not something on Valern's official agenda? Could be STG-business finally caught up with him?"_

"_Oh yeah… pretty much all the Salarian officials have spent time in the Special Task Group, right?"_

"_Correct. Maybe this was the revenge of a family he had helped destroy?"_

"_Right… I tend to forget that all Salarians aren't saints like Mordin."_

"_Mordin designed an improved version of the Genophage."_

"_Right… no saint there either."_

"Councilor, it was a deeply private matter, one that we could only discuss with Valern. No offense." John says, shifting in his seat.

"Seeing as it apparently ended up costing Valern his life, I would be interested in what the subject of the meeting would have been." Tevos says, looking at our small group like we aren't even here. _Okay… Sparatus is a fuming ass, Tevos is a stoic and arrogant bi- woman… why did I save them in Genesis again?_

"_Paragon-points… and because Toegoff did so."_

"_Right… well unless they change attitude, I'll be the last person they'll want to make that decision to save them on account of human lives."_

"Nihlus, you're the Spectre here… your call I guess." John says, looking at Nihlus. Both the Turian and me are looking at John in what can only be described as surprise. _When the hell did we decide on that?_

"_They'll have to know sooner or later. If not, Saren will pretty much take the Citadel Fleet by surprise."_

"_But they won't believe us! Or me, or you! Hell, Sparatus will just claim I'm using some kind of mike or something, and Tevos will just agree with him for the sake of agreeing."_

"Well… I… councilors, can we send the security outside?" Nihlus says.

"After what happened to Valern? On what grounds?" Sparatus says, actually viewing Nihlus with a bit of suspicion. I guess, after what happened with Saren, another Spectre going rouge isn't that hard to imagine.

"It… is important. Trust me when I say, that it is not for common ears." Nihlus says, looking a bit nervous.

"Hmm… very well, but they will remain just outside, within signal-range, and will be ready to act on a moment's notice." Tevos says, looking at her colleague. I can't believe this. They are going to tell Sparatus, SPARATUS about Roku? Or at least, about the attack on the Citadel, and then they will ask how we know it and then Roku will pop out and I end up in a lab. I grab John's free arm, the one not in gauze;

"John… do you seriously think, just for one fucking second that Sparatus is going to do anything but order us jailed for wasting his time, and that is the best case scenario. Worst case, I end up in a lab, my brain all over the fucking-" I sneer, speaking silently enough for only him to hear me;

"Ahem… if you wouldn't mind sharing your interesting conversation with the rest of us, I would still like to know why you and Valern were meeting without his guards. C-Sec is already going over the place, so you might as well help us out however you can." Sparatus says, sounding surprisingly calm for one who's known for declaring verbal war on anyone not agreeing with him instantly. When the security has left the room, the two councilors are looking back at us, obviously curious about what Nihlus wants to say.

"Well, it is not me, actually, that you should be looking at. I believe Fisher here would like to share something with you." What? _Oh he didn't!_ Now both Tevos and Sparatus are looking at me, Sparatus looking like he just stepped in something.

"Nihlus, with all due fucking respect: I was ready to tell Valern because he is the only non-discriminating person on the council… no offence meant to you councilors… and that was fine. Valern would have found a way to tell them, without me ending up dissected. Now, this is _your_ councilor, you tell them." I growl, shifting between looking at the councilors, Nihlus, and John who looks a bit worried. Possibly, he is starting to realize the same thing as me: that we're about to be fucked in the ass with a white-hot metal pole.

"Are you sure you want me to do that? I might miss some details that could be favorable towards you, or use some words capable of ruining our mission. You know the events better than any of us. It is therefore safest if you are the one to tell them." Nihlus says, gaining an almost soft undertone.

"For Mara's sake! Don't start pulling that shit on me, I remember how you guys reacted when Roku popped out the first time!" I say, raising my voice to an almost shout.

"And that is why you are the best suited to tell them about it… and who the hell is Ro- oh, right… but you know most about this whole thing. I only know what you told us. If you worry about being arrested for it you'll have my support as a Spectre. C-Sec can't touch you then." His flanged voice rises a few degrees, nearing an argument.

_Do I really have to?_

"_Well, if you are desperate enough to ask me, even when I've already given my two-cents… then yes. I believe it would be for the best to tell the truth, then… what's the phrase? Get the hell out of dodge"_

"_Gee, thanks… now I'm certainly not nervous."_

"_I aim to please."_

"_I swear, say that one more time, and I'm going to google Space-dicks first chance I get."_

"_Sorry, sorry sorry! Okay, I'll shut up."_

"Oh for fucks sake… Mara help me, because this will be… fucked up. More so than anything else I've done so far in this place…" I grumble, shoting a look of death Nihlus's way. Looking back at the two surprisingly silent councilors, I notice they are both looking confused at us. Me in particular;

"It is, I believe, in all's best interest that you tell us what you know private." Tevos says.

"Ehm… actually, he is a corporal… just got promoted madam councilor. I'm guessing the stitches were lost in the fireball." John says, actually addressing a councilor politely. Damn, he must be nervous as well.

"Fine… but if you even _think_ about dissecting me after this, I swear to the Divines that you will regret it." I sneer, looking at Sparatus in particular. He would probably love to send me to some lab, even despite Nihlus trying to stop him.

"I would prefer if you ceased the hostile tone corporal. Dissection is not performed on sentient species." Tevos says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fine… alright, I'm… Talos, this was so much easier when I planned on only telling Valern… I don't even know how to start."

"_Then why don't you allow me to begin?"_

"_You really think that's a good idea?"_

"_Better than you standing there stuttering like Professor Quirrel."_

"_Fine… just let me warn them first, okay?"_

"_And take the fun away? Give me one reason."_

"_Space-dicks"_

"_Fine, fine tell them to sit down or something."_ Roku says, almost adopting a sour tone.

Looking back at the group of aliens, I sigh, breathing in and exhaling heavily;

"Right… you two may want to sit down for this… if nothing else, then for the sake of preventing that you run screaming for the door." I say, feeling like I'm stumbling over half the words. Surprisingly, they obey me, planting themselves on a pair of chairs across from the table.

"_Right… alright, wish us luck."_

"_Just… don't be surprised if Sparatus still calls this bullshit."_

"_In that case I have a backup plan… but it would be unpleasant for you, so let us hope it will not be necessary."_

The two councilors are still seated, looking at me, when Roku spins up his magic trick;

"_**Greetings Sparatus and Tevos. Do not be alarmed by me, I mean you no harm."**_Roku says, voice kept on a relatively low, but still booming level. The two councilors do react differently from each other. Where Tevos almost flies from her chair in a biotic blur, Sparatus looks like he is fumbling for a sidearm. One which he, thank Mara, doesn't seem to have.

"What in- what in the spirits damned hell is this?!" Sparatus then splutters, sounding like someone just kicked him in the balls. Tevos remains standing behind her turned over chair, looking at me as if I had suddenly transformed into a husk.

"_Way to go, scaring Sparatus."_

"_Thank you Thomas, now please…"_

"_Right, right… concentration."_

"_**I am not a 'what' councilor. I am originally not a 'who' either. My name, or the name certain people on the Normandy has given me, Thomas included, is Roku. I am what you may describe as a spirit, or perhaps a "goddess", however these terms fall short of my meaning. Humans tend to describe me as a 'being of divine power' and they are surprisingly close to the truth, if one such exists about me."**_

"B- Bu… but this can't be… this cannot be happening!" Sparatus continues, his mandibles looking like they seek to tear themselves clean off his head. Tevos, having calmed down enough to stop glowing blue, manages to speak;

"Why- how… why are you here?"

"_**Oddly enough, you seem to be the first to ask me that so far Asari. For that I suppose I should give you credit for your calm. The reason I am here would be hard to comprehend to you, or even Thomas, my vessel. To put my purpose here in understandable terms, it seems appropriate that I give you a look into the future."**_

"_Okay… how will you do that?"_

"_Simply watch, and forgive eventual pain…"_

"_Eventu- ghaaah!" _My head feels like someone just threw a rock at my skull from the inside of it. My vision becomes blurry for a few moments, but I can see some sort of blue and white mist collecting on the wall next to me. Both the councilors look like they have seen a ghost, or a Reaper, when they notice what is on the screen. Because for some reason, Roku just made a screen on the wall, like the ones you would show a movie on.

"_**What I will do now, is to show you what will be, should you decide not to heed our advice, and act accordingly. Observe, not even a year from now." **_As he says this, forms and shapes start to appear on the screen, and suddenly it engulfs us, expanding around us like some kind of freaky holo-vid. Sounds begin to emerge as well, cries, explosions and the sound of gun- and cannon-fire.

"_Roku, where the hell- oh Mara!"_

"_Correct. We are on the Citadel Thomas, an uncertain amount of months from now. In this scenario, we never made a difference that the game didn't."_

"Goddess… what is happening here?" Tevos asks, her voice small and scared. Looking to where the voice came from, I can see her and Sparatus standing completely still, frozen in place as they look upon the enormous squid-shaped vessel ramming its way through the blockade, crushing dreadnaughts in its path: Sovereign.

"_**This councilors, is the Citadel, as you can see. Also, please note the swarms of geth destroying your fleets, as well as Sovereign on his way towards the Presidium Tower. Where we are now. Fortunately, this is all just a vision of what will happen, not a portal into the future. You will not be harmed by anything here… unlike that Salarian over there…" **_Roku says, notifying us of a Salarian in flight, pursued by what looks like… Gods, they are even more ugly than the zombies on Feros! Husks, with all their blue wires and machinery, catch up to the fleeing amphibian, forcing him to fall. They then brutally proceed to rip him to pieces, destroying his body as his arms are struggling to hold back the monstrous beings. It is futile however, as they grab hold on his arm, and with a sickening crunch, breaks it and tears it off by the shoulder. Screaming in pain, the Salarian kicks one of the husks away before scrambling to his feet having covered two meters, he is once again grabbed by the monsters, this time they tear out his throat, leaving him to die in seconds.

"Oh- Oh Goddess!" Tevos manages to stammer before throwing up on the ground.

"Spirit! I demand you tell me, what is this?! What or who did th- what is that black thing in the sky?!" Sparatus yells frantically, pointing at Sovereign, now no more than five hundred meters away, at the most.

"_**That is Sovereign. The first Reaper to make contact with organics in fifty-thousand years. The last time he killed, it was the Protheans who felt his wrath. Now, it is you."**_

"Wha- Bu- No, Reapers do not exist! They cannot! Is it Saren up there, steering that dreadnaught?! Why is he attacking?!" Sparatus yells, almost sounding like he could snap.

"_**SPARATUS! I will not hear this anymore! You have eyes I take it? Look at the monster of steel and flesh, look at what brought doom to the Protheans! Saren has already seen Sovereign for what he is, for what 'it' is. It shames me to think that Valern counted you as an equal in intelligence, when he could acknowledge the truth when it was before him, not reject it despite the evidence!"**_

"_Ehm… Roku?"_

"_**No longer will I be forced to watch in silence because the leaders of the galaxy are bickering like children, not willing to face the consequences that approach them! You refused to listen to Shepard when he told you about the Reapers! You refused to listen to Anderson when he shouted at you, calling you out on your ignorance!"**_

"_Roku? Don't you think-" _He really sounds pissed.

"_**And you as well Tevos! Your constant attitude of non-conflict has brought me nothing but annoyance. If you had been willing to face the truth, to show yourself to be an intelligent individual, as one of your age should be, we would have told you when we told Valern, and he may not have been dead now. I am not blaming you for his death, I am telling you, both of you, to wake up! If and when Sovereign reaches the tower and activates it, he will allow a fleet of hundreds, if not thousands of Reapers to appear right here, right at the Citadel. This was how the Prothean fell. They placed their government, their leaders, the brain of their Empire, here. When the Reapers attacked they never stood a chance. **_

"Are you saying that… that this whole station…" Sparatus says, realization seemingly coming to him.

"_**Was built by the Reapers themselves, yes. The Protheans discovered this place, and just as you did, I imagine they thought it perfect for their own seat of power, never wondering who or what had simply left a space-station this size for everyone's taking. There is another thing that is most crucial. The monument in the Presidium, the one right down there. Do you notice anything different about it?" **_ At this, Tevos, Sparatus, me and John, as well as Nihlus, turn our heads to look at the monument placed in the lake. It's glowing and spinning like a regular relay would.

"What is happening to it? Why is it… why does it look like an active relay? Do not tell me that-" Tevos starts, but is cut off.

"_**Yes. It is an actual mass relay. The only one the Protheans actually built themselves. That, is what Saren has been searching for all along. That, is the receiving end of the Conduit."**_

"The… the Conduit? But… why?" Sparatus says, his voice weak with shock and dread as he looks upon the destruction around him.

"_**I do not know the details of its purpose, but my guess is that it was to be used the same way Saren has today. By discovering the other end, he was able to send hordes of geth, husk and Krogan through the gate, sneaking past your forces. Now, that mistake will cost you countless lives. Possibly your own as well." **_

No one responds, as we simply stand and look on, watching as Sovereign grasps the tower like a black hand would a stick, activating the Citadel's own relay.

"_**Come… I do not think it would be wise to remain here."**_ As he says this, countless rips and holes in space appears. But instead of it being the Alliance, as in the video back home… it's the Reapers.

"Mara… there are… so… many!" I say, fighting to get each word out. I was never prepared for this, not for this. Where the hell is Shepard? Why hasn't he killed Saren yet?

"_**You would not like to see what follows…"**_ Roku says, pulling us out from the Citadel, back into the office. The lamps hanging from the ceiling are swaying lightly, betraying the motion that just was. Sparatus is gripping the table to stabilize himself, while Tevos has sat down in one of the chairs, shaking worse than anything I've ever seen. John and Nihlus aren't much better. Where Nihlus is leaning against the wall for support, John has completely flat lined, slumped against the wall and allowed himself to simply lie against the wall. Me? I feel like utter shit. I have the worst nausea since waking up on Eden Prime, and my entire body is boiling. _I… I can't…_ I can't hold it back. Grabbing the nearest trash bin, I let go, throwing up in it and losing the roasted ham and eggs Nic made for lunch before my promotion.

Having emptied my body of all nutrition, I get to my feet again, shaking like someone on drugs. I'm about to fall when a hand grasps me, pulling me up again. I look up to see a rather pale, but otherwise unscathed Nihlus let go of me as he places me against the table. My head is spinning, making me even more dizzy than before. I have to sit on the table and lie down if I am to avoid falling over myself again. I don't give a fuck if someone protests against me lying here. I just saw the fucking worst case scenario happen before my own eyes.

_Mara forgive me, what was… I feel awful…_

"_I am sorry, but I didn't feel like being subjugated to what you suspected Sparatus would do. I had to… speed things up a bit. Forgive me."_

"_He- He- Hell… I don't think it will… be an issue. You scared the color from their faces, I doubt Sparatus will have anything to say now."_ Speaking of which, the Turian councilor is looking up, eyes frantic and filled with fear. It's not because I blame the guy. He did just see the end of the world with his own two eyes. I just hope it worked.

"Spirits… what was that? How could we be there and still here?"

"I… it was a vision, councilor. Listen, I know it is a lot to take in, some would probably go mad from it… but please listen to me. You can prevent it from happening, to a certain degree I think. I don't know how exactly, but we know that the ground forces will be coming out from the relay monument… can't we destroy it?" I say, not sure if Roku or I should be the one to speak.

"No… if it really worked like a relay, then destroying it would be the same as a star going supernova on the Citadel. We would all die… we can't even seal it in concrete as it will simply shatter that when it goes active. We can't turn it off either, as it isn't even on yet…"

"So… basically, we're still fucked?" I say, feeling hopeless. Was it all for nothing? We convinced the council, and we're still screwed?

"I… I don't know. Seeing as how that… the Reaper simply rammed through the ships, I don't know how we are going to stop it. I have an idea for how to stop the forces moving from the monument, but against that thing? I simply don't know." That's when I remember the second thing I wanted to discuss with Valern. The co-operation between the Migrant Fleet, the Alliance and the Salarian Union. Now I just doubt we'll be seeing the Salarians in that deal.

"Councilor, there was something else I wanted to talk to Valern about. He stroke me as a person without all the… bad habits the rest of you have, namely the anti-Semitism against Quarians." At this, I notice John's head perk up. He remains on the ground though;

"What has any of this got to do with Quarians?" Tevos asks, lifting her head from her hands on the table.

"Well, I have for some time been formulating an idea, you see. I had planned to work out some kind of deal between the Migrant Fleet, the Salarian Union and the Alliance… I have someone in the Alliance top-command I can depend on, but I still needed Valern before I would approach the Admiralty board… with your help Shepard." I say, using John's last name when with the councilors. It just seems… weird, to call him John in front of them. He turns his head to look at me;

"I… why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have helped convince the admirals even earlier."

"Well, to be honest I didn't want to go ahead and give you a false hope, only then for it to be shot down again."

"I see… but this deal, what was it about?" He says, sounding a bit sulky but otherwise just shaken.

"John, do you remember Kasumi, from the briefing room?" I ask, trying to ignore Nihlus and the councilors discussing something behind our backs.

"It is a little hard to forget someone with the habit of sneaking up on you… why?"

"Well, she has been given me different… stuff, from distant places… and I have been toying with the idea of trying to have someone work out the plans for some kind of proto-type warship. That's why I needed that deal, to have it made into a real thing." I have been spending some waking nights over the weeks, figuring out, or trying to figure out, what could be done, what kind of tech that would be needed, how big it would have to be to stand a chance against Sovereign.

"I guess that makes sense. But how would you be able to plan something like that out? You can hardly take out a plant without almost killing yourself in the process." He says, a small chuckle escaping him. It seems to go largely unnoticed by the councilors. Unless that is why Sparatus is making his way over to me at the moment;

"Fisher… in the light of the recent development… I have been… talking with Tevos. What we… what I, in particular refused to acknowledge has finally come to punch me in the face. I guess it is almost fitting, as I was the one least inclined to believe you people those months ago. But… what I guess I am trying to say is …Thank you. I'm still not sure if I can wrap my head around all of this… but I probably wouldn't even have believed you if this… this 'Roko' or 'Roku' hadn't intervened."

"So… what now?" I ask. Sparatus suddenly regains the exhausted look in his eyes.

"We can't tell the public, not yet. There would be chaos and mass panic if it became known that the… that the Reapers are coming for us. But… there is something else as well."

"What is it? Not to sound impolite, but neither of us have had the best day I think." I say, noticing that Tevos is suddenly standing right behind him, with Nihlus helping John to his feet.

"That much is true… what I want to discuss is this deal of yours. Since the Salarians will probably be in too much turmoil right now to handle making a deal, let alone help you with any sort of project. I overheard something about warships. Is that what the deal is about?"

"In… I guess in short yes. My plan was to have those three work together, with humanity supplying the resources and most of the manpower, the Quarians supplying their craftsmanship and utilizing everything they get into something worthwhile, and the Salarians would have been there because they are the smartest race in the galactic community. No offence intended."

"None taken. So, the deal about warships would be to mass produce dreadnaughts? Would that even work against such a thing as So- as a Reaper?"

"In theory, yes. Enough state-of-the-art dreadnaughts would be capable of bringing down a Reaper. They are, despite all their intimidation and godlike powers, just machines… machines with insanely strong shields and insane weapons."

"You are still making them sound unbeatable."

"Right, sorry about that… but my point is, that this 'deal', this project, would mean the evolvement of the newest weapons, Ion-cannons and plasma weaponry for example."

"Ion-cannons?"

"Hmm, you should try and take a look into human history later councilor. The ion-cannon was meant to be a weaponized version of the EMP created when a nuke goes off. In theory it could knock out anything in the skies, no matter how powerful the shields or armor were." The words 'in theory' are probably why Sparatus's brows are furrowing;

"In theory? It was never used I take it?"

"It was never built. The end of the cold war kinda made sure of that, and the weapon made it to the forget-me books, not to be considered again, except for in sci-fi movies."

"But… such a weapon would tremendously increase our chances in ship-to-ship fighting. I can't believe your people never even shared it with us. How… but, if it was archived with that time's technology, we wouldn't be able to read it now, let alone develop plans for a functional one in only a few months." I think it's time Kasumi has another trip to a galaxy far far away… hope she has some warm clothes.

"Well, I may have…may know someone who can get plans for a functional version. It will take a few days, but it should be capable of being reverse engineered once you have it."

"I… you would just give it to us?" For some reason, Sparatus and Tevos look like their eyes could pop out. What is the deal with them? Of course I will. We're apparently dead otherwise.

"Well… we survive that battle, and then we can talk about payment. It would be pretty jackass of me to demand payment for something I haven't field-tested yet."

"Still, you have done the council, and to that extend the galaxy a great service by revealing the truth to us. We will be… looking into this project as best we can, but it would greatly help were you to share a bit more information about what kind of ship we are talking about. I don't even want to think about the paperwork involved if it really entails dreadnaught-class ships… it does, doesn't it?" Tevos says, looking at me with tired eyes. Frankly, I'm amazed none of them snapped, and the fact that they are already ready to discuss the project? I may have to reevaluate those two.

"Yes. If the plan goes like I have thought it out, it will involve a whole new line of dreadnaughts. Not necessarily bigger, but better than what even the Hierarchy currently has."

"Sounds promising." Sparatus says, almost giving me a turian smile.

"Aren't we forgetting something here though?" John joins the conversation, leaving Nihlus to his own business.

"What would that be?" Sparatus asks, still not entirely comfortable around John it seems. I guess that _was_ too much to hope for.

"Even if the Quarians were offered this deal, I can imagine they would want something in return." John says, looking at Tevos and Sparatus. _Why do I feel like I won't like the next minute's words?_

"And, if I may ask, what do you think the Quarians would do if we weren't up to full strength when the Reapers arrive, if we can't stop Sovereign?" Tevos says, irritation evident over the fact that the Quarians would want payment for doing the galaxy a favor.

"They would die, of course. The thing you forget is that the conclave and the admiralty board, just as every single other government in existence, tends to be borderline stupid and shortsighted. They will probably demand help in taking back the Homeworld." The last word is followed by a sigh, and I can't help but wonder if John himself has had some doubt as to if it will actually be worth all the death it will take to reclaim Rannoch.

"Wha- but surely thy can see that this is far more important? They won't let the council down, they cannot be that senseless." Sparatus almost chokes on his own words, probably realizing just why the Migrant Fleet perhaps wouldn't give a shit about the rest of the galactic community, given how they have been treating them for the past three-hundred years. Actually, that could become quite the hurdle in my plan as well.

"Councilor, ask yourself if you would risk crucial time for your own people in helping someone who never gave a shit about you, and who has treated your entire race like shit since Rannoch fell." Is all I can say. The lifted spirit that came with my suggestions and plans is pretty much gone, replaced by a cold atmosphere. Ironic that the century-long racism against Quarians should come back and kick the galaxy in the balls now of all times. _Easy now… maybe they will see it from our point of view after all. I know Han'Gerrel will probably say 'sod the galaxy' but Korris and Xen should at least be interested, and maybe we can get Shala on our side as well. And, if Tali's dad is still alive, he could help as well. Actually, that could also serve to bring Gerrel into the fold. _

"Spirits… we're going to have to talk to them on their terms, aren't we?"

"Yes, but we may have an ace in our sleeve." I say, remembering Rael'Zorah; "One of the admirals has a daughter who works on the Normandy. She could perhaps talk to her father?" I say. I silently pray that the father-daughter relationship here is better than in the game, or we are going to have a problem;

"I wouldn't hold my breath there Thomas. From what Tali has told me, there are still tensions, and the old bosh'ted is still acting more like a boss than a father around her." _Great, there goes that idea._

"Regardless, we have to think this over, including which diplomats, ambassadors, political and military leaders to involve. I know this may sound crazy, given the circumstances, but I think we need to cut the meeting short. Also, my head is killing me. I hope we can continue this as soon as possible corporal Fisher, Commander Shepard, Spectre Kryik." Tevos says, nodding. She then leaves the room, leaving Sparatus with us.

Nihlus sends him a look.

"Right… we have been discussing the importance of the scene we witnessed in the vision. Nihlus came up with a suggestion, one which I find to be quite… unusual, but still what I would call only proper."

"Yes… I have been surveying both of you for some time now, and while I am still not completely sure on your skills in combat Fisher, but believe me, you only need some more time, I have been very impressed with you so far Shepard." I can't help but notice John and Sparatus actually exchanging looks. John looks confused while Sparatus simply gestures for Nihlus to continue.

"Meaning?" John says, turning to face Nihlus again.

"That from this moment on, you are to be considered a candidate for the Council Spectres. I will be continuing to monitor your progress as we go on missions together, and if you keep up you so far impressive list of features, I have no doubt that you will become the first Quarian Spectre in the last three-hundred years." Wow… I did not see that one coming, and judging from the way John is swaying, neither did he.

"That… but, my people don't even have an embassy on the Citadel anymore. How can we get a Spectre then?" Good point I guess.

"That fact is merely a smaller obstacle in our path. From what I understand, the council will be forced to take another look at your people's status as exiled from the Citadel's races." Nihlus says, a small smile etched on his face. Or, I think it is a smile. I really need to learn how to read Turians. Would suck if I pissed Garrus off unintentionally.

"Indeed. I… may not be the biggest fan of your people Shepard, but if anything you have proven that there is a bright spot somewhere in the darkness. That is also why I need your help. Consider it your first task in the Spectre evaluation." Sparatus says, looking somewhere between a smile and a scowl.

"Well, I… of course… what is it?"

"Neither me nor Tevos have the best… record with Quarian diplomacy, so I would like you to remain here for a few more hours and help us negotiate some terms with them. I trust the Migrant Fleet has a Quantum Entanglement relay?" Okay… who the fuck just turned the universe upside down? Udina is not that big an ass, the council believes me, Sparatus wants to negotiate with the Quarians… is someone playing Jumanji?

"_I do believe I did quite well there."_

"_Hell yeah you did. Remind me to buy you a dri- oh, right… well, at least you can enjoy it if I go see a movie."_

"_Hmpf, is that supposed to be some kind of joke?"_

"_Well, what else can I give you as a reward for probably saving all our lives?"_

"_You can stop trying to block me from watching you and Ash together."_

"_That's a joke right?"_

"_Do I normally joke?"_

"_Well…"_

"_Don't answer that."_

"Ehm, Shepard?" I say, looking at the Quarian.

"What is Thomas?"

"Well, there are only a few hours left of shore-leave, so I wondered if I could spend the rest of them, you know, with…"

"Ashley? Sure, go ahead. I don't think there is any more reason for you to stick around here anyway. Unless you want to bore yourself with listening to Quarian politics."

"Aren't Quarian politics like a big family meeting or something?" I say, remembering the trial.

"Who told you- right, I… Keelah, I still have to get used to you knowing all that. Anyway, is there any last boon your grateful commander can bestow upon thee before thy departure?" Why is John speaking like that? Sounds like something I would do… Mara, I haven't rubbed off on him, have I?

Still…

"Actually… my gear was fried in the explosion, so could I burrow your Omni-tool to call up Ash?"

"Do you have her number?" John says. That's when it hits me. I don't even have her number. We have simply been together from day one, so there never was a need to learn it.

"…No. Actually I don't…"

"Then let me just call her up. I have the number… here." He says, scrolling through the options on his tool. Why didn't that get busted by the way? I wonder if it is just way more reliable than mine was, or if he protected himself with a barrier. Pressing a few digits, the tool starts humming, like an old cell-phone.

"Williams, this is Shepard… yes, the 'good' one. Listen, I have a certain corporal here who would like to speak to you… yes, it's the cute idiot… no, I didn't say that out loud… just talk to him, will you?" John says, barely hiding the amusement in his voice. I listen to the same hum that signals a call being transferred to one's head-piece, and mine was miraculously not destroyed in the explosion. Worlds of wonders…

"Hey there. Is this the newly appointed corporal Fisher?" The cocky voice says, causing my insides to heat up. That wonderful voice.

"That was the right answer ma'am. You've just won a price." I reply, not being able to contain a grin. I never can when she starts doing her thing.

"Gee, what did I win?" She says, in on the little jest.

"Well, seeing as we have three hours left of the shore leave, you can chose between A) A movie by your choice and from my wallet, or B) a dinner for two at a restaurant after your choice."

"Well… I don't know. Will the dinner for two and the movie be with the host of this competition?"

"Sure will. Sorry Ma'am, but I think he might have a crush on you."

"Damn, and here I am already taken. Well you can tell Fisher, the cute guy with a Mohawk to meet me in front of Dayla Ciné, the Cinema on the Kithoi ward, in half an hour. I've already found a movie."

"Well ma'am, I'll make sure he knows that. Enjoy your evening." I say, hanging up while grinning like an idiot. I just can't help it when around her. Even through the "phone" her presence is enough for me to feel on fire.

"Sounds like you have your day planned." John remarks as I give him the sign that the call has been terminated; "Do you think she'll like your new look?" He says, gesturing to my face and uniform. Crap, I forgot that I had been halfway stripped when the flames ate at me.

"Do you think I could find a taxi that goes back to the Normandy?" I say, wanting to at least get some intact clothes on.

"Sure. I'll have one called up here right away. Oh, and do try to get that wound cleaned up." John ads, looking at, I guess, the gash on my forehead. _I hope Ash likes men with scars…_

…

Man, this place would have taken me days to find if I hadn't asked for directions. A big station? Big my ass, it's huge. The cinema is a giant silver-white square building, complete with large windows and long lines of green running along the sides. For a building, it's actually quite nice looking. Looking around, I notice Ash standing near the entrance, back towards me, reading something on a poster. _Man, this is going to have her kick my ass… but I just have to._

I walk towards her, careful not to stray into her field of vision. When I'm only a few meters behind her, she has yet to notice me. She has changed her clothing from the navy blue to her casual uniform, the black or dark blue one she wears on the ship. I have also donned the casual uniform, dumping my 'fine' clothes on my bed, not sure if I have to throw them out or if I can have them fixed. What pisses me off the most about it, is that my new rank stitches were lost as well, meaning that by appearance, I'm still a lowly private. Sneaking towards Ash, I'm now less than two meters from her. Doubt is starting to yell at me, telling me how stupid this is. I bet Roku is going to reprimand me as well.

"_No, by all means, go ahead. This should be highly entertaining, whatever the outcome."_

Okay, so he didn't reprimand me. Oh well, too late to turn back now. Ash still hasn't noticed me, but I'm starting to draw a few stares from the people around me, possibly due to my facial scars and the way I'm sneaking up on the seemingly defenseless woman in front of me. _Here we go…_

Taking a small jump forward, I throw my arms forward, grabbing her around the waist.

"What the- let me go you prick!" Ash shouts, sprawling and flailing as I lift her into the air, grinning like the bad guy in a B-rated action movie. Several people have stopped to look at me, possibly wondering if they should come to Ash's aid. Still not knowing who it is, Ash sends a kick backwards, connecting with my right shin. The pain flares through my leg, causing me to drop her on the ground. I grab for my leg, cursing inwardly. _I fucking knew this was a bad idea!_

"_And I knew it would be highly entertaining!" _Roku laughs. Bastard…

"Arrhh… remind me not to try and surprise you again." I halfway grumble, halfway grin as I jump around hugging my shin. Christ, she has a hell of a kick! Turning around, Ash recognizes me;

"What the- Thomas you imbecile moron, why did- what the hell happened to your face?!" She almost shouts the last part, noticing the more than a few scars my face now sports. I should have suspected something like that would be her reaction. _Note to self: stop acquiring more scars._

"Well… the meeting took a turn for the worse…" I say, letting go of my leg but still refraining from standing on it. Ash gains an even more worried look than before;

"What do you mean? Did they actually try to dissect you? Did they shoot at you? Why is half of your hair gone?"

"Err… No, No and that was because I was caught in a fireball. You see, when we got to…" I start, then noticing that quite a few people are watching. I gesture for Ash to follow me to the side, a little away from the rest. Leaning against the building, I sigh. I'm pretty much exhausted, having been blown up, dug out and sent into a vision.

"Now, what the hell happened to you?" Ash says, gently touching the gash on my forehead. It's been smeared in medi-gel, so I'm guessing it looks like the world's biggest pimple.

"As I said, the meeting didn't go the way I wanted it to. When we arrived at Valern's office, he was dead and-"

"Dead?!" Ash exclaims, then quickly placing a hand over her own mouth, not wanting to draw any attention;

"Sorry… but dead? What the fuck?"

"I know, I think I said about the same thing before the bomb in his lap went off, destroying the ro-"

"A bomb?! What the hell? How could someone plant a bomb in the tower, and why?" She says, eyes darting from one wound to the other. Eventually her eyes fall to the halfway melted medal I have to keep around my neck in a string, seeing as the ribbon was burned to a crisp. I get the feeling that she would have smiled, maybe even giggled at the melted image of the man on it, were it not for the fact that it was melted because of what happened to me.

"Beats me how it was done, security seemed pretty tight. As to why? I can imagine councilors having a lot of enemies, pirates and the lot hating them."

"Sorry… but how was he dead? Shot?"

"No… it looked like someone had slit his throat. When the bomb went off, Nihlus was sent flying through a wall and John and me buried under a ton of debris. By the way, I found out Emhart wasn't kidding when he said the arm could support almost five-hundred kilos. Apparently, that's why I still have my legs."

"Christ… did… did anyone else die?"

"Other than Valern? No, we all survived. Sparatus and Tevos then made sure we were treated and… listen to this: we actually convinced them. We convinced the council to believe us, about Saren, the Reapers and everything. They even made John a candidate for the Spectres, and now he is helping them with negotiations with the Migrant Fleet. How awesome is that, I ask you."

"Holy Hell… how the- how did you manage to pull that stunt off?"

"Well, actually it was Roku. When we were alone with the councilors, he opened some kind of vision to the future, the future I have seen… or, that was what I thought."

"A vision? What happened in it?"

"We saw the Citadel under attack from the Geth and from Sovereign, the big black Reaper. But… something was off. Instead of the fleets taking down Sovereign, it actually succeeded, opening some kind of relay to dark space, letting the rest of the Reapers through. I… there were so… so many of them. Hundreds… thousands even… Roku ended the vision before we saw what happened next, but I doubt we would have won."

"Jesus… I… I don't know what to say." Ash says, her former cheery mod gone, replaced by a horrified look on her face.

"Neither did anyone else for a time. I threw up, and the rest were forced to either sit down or support themselves against the table. But it worked. They were convinced of the Reapers existence. When Sovereign arrives, I think we'll be more ready than in… than how I saw it the first time." I say, remembering how the fleets had been torn apart, how the Salarian had been killed and how the councilors had reacted.

"In the game?" Ash says, catching me completely off guard.

"Ash… I have tried, so please… do the same and stop talking about the game. It's confusing enough as it is."

"Sorry… but how can they be 'ready', to face that kind of attack?"

"Remember the Admiral, Anna?" I say, remembering the fucked up fact that my sister is alive and here as an admiral.

"Your sister? Yeah I remember her of course, why?" It doesn't get any less fucked up hearing Ash talk about her, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Yes… well, when we were having the meeting, remember how we gave her some schematics?"

"Sure, my arm was dead from keeping it up for so long. Were those schematics for the preparation against the attack?"

"Yeah, but I only showed her the smaller ones. I am keeping the big one until I can get Kasumi and at least one of the clones together. I need her to bring back something pretty wicked."

"A giant gun that fires geth?" Ash says, regaining some of her good mood.

"Nah, though I guess that would be pretty awesome as well. No, the clones, where they come from. Their ships don't use Element Zero to travel, and as a result, most of their ships are more than just one kilometer in length, and often even broader than what the Turians can come up with. If I could get my hands… our hands, on the tech for their drive-cores, I'm sure I could do something pretty awesome with it. I already have a few ideas."

"Still… you can't use something like that yourself. You would need a giant fac- okay, I need that one again… They don't use Eezo? Then how the hell do they travel faster than light?" Ash says, looking pretty much dumbfounded.

"I'm not certain, which is why I need those plans, or a complete engine, whatever she can bring back."

"Okay… let's say you actually get those plans… how the hell will you use them?"

"I'm not going to. The project is." I say, grinning like an evil maniac. Ash looks a little less confused now;

"Wait, didn't you discuss some kind of project with Anna?"

"Yup, the one with the Alliance, the Quarians and the Salarian Union working together to build a big ass bunch of starships."

"Yeah, I thought that sounded familiar… so, if Valern is dead, the Salarians won't join?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I'll leave it to Sparatus and Tevos to figure that out. In the meantime, Sparatus apparently pledged his support to the project, and kept John up there to help negotiate something with the Quarians… and will you _now_ tell me what movie we're going to watch?"

"Oh, I thought it would be the host who would join me. A shame, then I just have to settle for you." She says, leaning in and giving me a kiss. I happily return it, and we stand there for a little while, just enjoying each other's presence and warmth.

Breaking away, Ash smiles that warm smile of hers, and I can't help but smile back. It's simply impossible not to smile when she flashes those curled lips;

"You've gotten better at this." She says, grinning._ Say something cool, say something cool._

"Yeah well, I've had a pretty good teacher." _Not bad…_

"I will take that as a compliment, now come on: the film starts soon." She says, starting to drag me by the artificial arm. _Dammit my shoulder still hurts like hell._

"Wait, you haven't even told me what we're going to watch." I say, trying to slow her down. Talos, she's like a four-year old, having spotted the big teddy bear in the shooting-tent.

"Oh, yeah that slipped my mind. It's actually something Tali suggested, saying that she wanted to take John seeing it, but wasn't sure if they would let Quarians in."

"So… what is it?"

"A romantic movie: Fleet and Flotilla." She says, looking at me with that cocky grin still plastered on her face. _A romantic movie? Really?_

…

The man, impeccably dressed as always, turned in his chair as his employee approached him. Having been searched by a V.I, he didn't pose any threat without his combat knife and sword. Or, even if he did, it would not be enough to escape the place alive, should he turn on his employer. The former Jack Harper never took a risk, not even with his own employees. If he had, he might not still have been called the 'Illusive Man', as the rest of the galaxy had taken to refer to him as. In truth, he didn't mind the name, finding it quite fitting for someone depending on never being found. Now, he turned to face his newly returned assassin.

The man, probably no older than twenty-five, had strong Asian features, middle-length black hair and a hard face. It was clear that this was a man of determination, not of compromise. It was also clear, that the words mercy or compassion were not to be found in his dictionary. This was one of the reasons why he was the best assassin the Illusive Man had in his arsenal, and why he was only sent on the most difficult of tasks. This time however, he had slipped up.

"Welcome back Leng. I have already read the reports on your hit. Quite impressive that you managed to evade every single piece of surveillance they had. The kill, however, was found out before the bomb went off. We now deal with three potential witnesses, and if they survived, they will have told the council what they saw. They will soon realize that this wasn't an 'accident'. You are not starting to slip up, are you?"

"The bomb must surely have killed them. One of them was the turian Spectre Nihlus Kryik. He must have been killed, as well as the human. I did some background check on him, just to be sure." Leng said, lips curling into a slight smirk. Igniting his cigarette, the Illusive man gestured for him to go on;

"Newly promoted Corporal Thomas Vestergaard Fisher, former soldier on Eden Prime, served on the SSV Normandy prior to the bomb, took part in the liberation of Zhu's Hope, as well as finding one Liara T'soni on Therum. Also he… recently was wounded, received the Purple Heart as well as cybernetic upgrades." Leng added the last part with a hint of disdain, not approving of people using genetic and cybernetic augmentations to increase their skills. He had worked long and hard to get where he was now, and had already once had competition from someone close to rivaling his skills in a close-quarters fight. A damned idealistic young blonde, an alien lover, as he had described himself to spite Leng.

"Hmm… you seem to have done your research…" the Illusive man said, bringing the Asian back from his memories; "But what about the third?"

"A Quarian, sir. If the explosion didn't kill him, surely the numerous suit-breaches would have." Leng failed to notice the dark cloud that gathered over his boss's face. That was, however, until he spoke;

"Leng… I'm sure my ears must be failing. I believe I just heard you say that one of the three people from the Normandy caught in the explosion was a male Quarian?" Harper said, barely containing his anger. If Leng had killed John'Shepard nar Rayya, then there was a serious problem. The Normandy would be without a captain, and before a new one could be found, it was highly likely that Saren Arterius would have found whatever it was he was looking for, and bring his forces against the council and humanity. With a slightly shaking hand, he extinguished the only half-way burned cigarette by mashing it into the ashtray.

"Is there something wrong sir? It was just a Quarian… not really a loss. But yes, I do believe that, like Fisher and Kryik, he served on the Normand-" Leng had to cut his talk short to evade the newly purchased ashtray tossed at his head. Shocked, he stared back at his usually so calm and controlled employer.

"What the hell was that for?!" He shouted, giving hell in the fact that shouting at your boss was a quick way to lose more than your job in his line of work.

"You may just have killed humanity's best chance of survival you incompetent idiot! John'Shepard was the commander of the Normandy, and they will never find someone to fill out those shoes before Saren makes his move! Even Captain Anderson seems to have seen too many battles, he's retired. Even should he take back his old position, it won't be in time to stop Saren. If Shepard is indeed dead, I'm sending you after Saren yourself." The usually so calm and controlled face was replaced by the closest thing to rage anyone had ever seen the Illusive Man express. He had not let himself slip like that since Eva's death. Since the day he decided to create Cerberus.

"A Quarian? Are you saying that thát Quarian was the commander of the Normandy? I thought it was just a joke when I heard it. Why would the Council send a Quarian after Saren?" Leng said, not fully believing what he had just been told. Inwardly, he began praying to whatever divine powers were out there that he hadn't actually killed Shepard. He did not carry the illusion that he could get to Saren, let alone get away from the scene when the hit was carried out.

"Maybe because, unlike you, he knows what he is doing. Or, if we are unlucky, he _knew_ what he was doing. You better-" He continued, only to be cut off when his ear-piece activated, signaling an incoming call;

"Yes, this has better be important… yes… ahh… thank you Miss Lawson, yes, I'll tell him…" He said, disconnecting from the caller. Turning his attention back towards the assassin, he smiled. A cold smile created from years of supervising, orchestrating and berating his employees, such as Kai Leng, when they had almost made an irreversible mistake.

"Well Leng… it seems we just pulled by. Apparently Shepards Biotics managed to hold off the explosion long enough for them to be superficially injured only, not killed. Consider yourself lucky, that it didn't go worse, and consider your paycheck for this month cut in half. Good day mister Leng." And with that, he ended the conversation. Turning around in his chair, he made every signal possible that the conversation was over, and that Leng was no longer wanted in the room.

Reluctantly, Leng left, a dark scowl on his face.

The Illusive man returned to the view of the star, picking a fresh cigarette from a small pack in his suit. With a tired look on his face, he pressed his ear-piece again;

"Lawson?" He said, connecting to the female operative.

"Yes sir?"

"Thanks… you may have just saved me some restless nights, as well as Leng's life." He said, rubbing his forehead with his free hand. He was tired. Being the leader of an organization as important and crucial as his, he had to be on his toes twenty-five hours a day, not allowing his numerous enemies to gain as much as a slight notion as to where he was. Humanity needed him far too much for that.

"Just doing my job sir. Anything else before I jump back to bed?" She said, a small smile in her voice. They had long enjoyed a friendly, if professional working relationship, and Miranda would always be grateful to him for helping her hide her sister from their father. Unbeknownst to her, the former Jack Harper had always somewhat admired Alexander Lawson for his work, for his dedication to the human race. It had, however, taken a steep turn downwards on the curve, when the Illusive Man had discovered just how and, more specifically, why, Miranda and her sister had been brought to the world. He had ended all relations with the geneticist the next day. As had the funding to Cerberus that had flown from Alexander's pockets. It hadn't been that much of a loss, however, as he had instead gained the undying loyalty of Miranda. He had told himself many times, and he could do it again: he had never met a brighter woman.

"Actually… can you send me the current files on project 'Lethal Night'?" He said, remembering how he had contemplated the risks against the gains of his newest biological weapon. There was a moments silence from the other end as Miranda dug through her files. A sudden but soft _ping_ told him that the files had arrived.

"That's all of them sir. We still… haven't been able to reduce the casualties." She said, a hint of regret in her voice. They both knew the price, as did the volunteers for the project.

"I know… but keep trying." They also both knew that the volunteers were never told exactly how they were going to, only that their participation would help humanity in the long run. Inhaling the clean smoke from the cigarette, he looked over the holographically displayed files.

* * *

Codex entry on Alexander Lawson:

_Alexander Lawson (2162) was born to the wealthy Lawson-family, being the younger brother of Henry Lawson, the heir to the Lawson Empire. Being a skilled geneticist, he quickly made himself a name in the company without help from his name. During the First Contact War, Samuel and Lisbeth Lawson, Henry's and Alexander's parents, were killed when Shanxi was raided by the Turian Navy. Since that day, both young men have been known to be very outspoken opponents of humanity's role as a 'servent' to the aliens, Alexander stating that "I would rather see the Citadel and all those serving it, burn, before I saw Earth ruled by aliens and their fan-club."_

_In 2181, Alexander Lawson was declared a wanted man, due to his extensive research into cloning human beings. Current whereabouts are unknown._


	23. Flameheart

**Alright, I've been hard at work on this one. I did a lot of... research, yes let's call it research, to find out the properties of alcohol, especially when it was connected to the ability to speak properly... anyway...** **Master Chief is still holding the lead in the PM's, followed by Hannah Shep and "Don't use anymore new ones" on a shared second place. On the third, I think we have... MC again? Eh... well, that's what I get for putting in the option of choosing him twice... and, comming in last, is Soap from Modern Warfare. So... so far it seems like I've got ten people taking interrest in the poll... oh well, enough of my bitching and such... Onwards!**

* * *

Flameheart

Man, that was… a strange movie. Don't get me wrong, it was really cute in a lot of scenes, and it reminded me a bit about Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Actually I wonder if it isn't actually somewhat based off on that book. 'Fleet and Flotilla' is kinda the same wordplay as 'Pride and Prejudice', so… I don't know. I've already seen an Asari read the book, in English no less, so I wouldn't be that surprised. Still…

"Well, what do you think?" Ash says, leaning against me in the booth. We're currently sitting in Flux, where we've paid for a small booth off to the side. I'm not really one for exhibitionism. I guess that's something that rubbed off from my parents. The music in here is not what you would expect from a place like this, being a club and all. It's actually not that bad. Currently a piece of music sounding remarkably like a Batarian version of Elvis is going off, even with all the 'uh huh, Uh huh!'s. It's… weird, to say the least.

"About the movie?" I say, resting me hand on her head, letting it slide through her hair. From all the differences I've learned about her so far, I wouldn't be surprised if Ash started purring. I don't think I can stress this enough, but Hudson never did Ash the credit she is due.

"Yeah…" She says, sipping her beer through the long pink straw. We've got a beer, about half a liter for each of us. I don't normally go for more than one glass, but… well, Ash kinda challenged me to a drinking match. Which I won. I'm not sure if that is a good or a bad thing, but it was sure as hell hilarious to watch her collapse after having downed that last beer. I am not faring to well either though, but I was still sober enough to order a booth, and to drag Ash to her feet, and support her while we walked the long ragged road to salvation, meaning the far-off booth. The scary thing is, the second she could speak coherently, Ash ordered a beer for each of us, straw included.

"You… you know, I noticed something in that movie." I say, feeling the alcohol affecting my movements, but oddly enough leaving my thoughts clear as day. It's not even Roku, I've always had it like this with alcohol.

"Mmmmmm….?"

"Those… those… that Quarian girl… what's her name again?"

"Tali?"

"N-Nah, not her… in the move- movie. I swear, her legs…" I say, not being able to help a frown.

"What? Are you looking at other women now?" Ash says, still slurring due to the straw between her teeth. I swear, it's adorable to see her like this.

"No, no no… but… her legs were… they were straight."

"Mmm… what about that?" Ash sounds a bit sleepy.

"Well… don't Tali and John have legs that curve backwards?"

"Oh yeah… so, why didn't they in the movie?"

"I don't know… perhaps it wasn't quariams… Quarians?"

"Hmmm… bloody showbuisness."

"Why?"

"They are discritititin… discrimination… against Quarians." She says, emptying her glass with the straw but continues sucking, making that slurring sound from the straw.

"Hmm… I thought you weren't the biddest… biggest fan on aliens?" God Dammit, the beer is getting to me now… I thought I would be able to… I don't know, last a bit longer.

"Hm? Why, because I was a little rele… releu… reluctano…that word, when the aliens came aboard the Normandy?"

"Well… yeah." I say, giving her an apologetic smile.

"Hmpf… you know, that was just because I think… thought that Liara would steal you from me… after the meld, you know…" Despite being drunk, my innards immediately snap-freeze, remembering how I had taken great care to make sure Ash didn't find out. _How long has she known?_

"Ash… I…"

"Don't say anything you handsome… Scarface… Scarface… I think that sounds good, don't you?" She says, smiling her drunken smile, eyes weary and lids often slipping down, only to jump up again.

"Ash… I… Listen, I wanted to... to tell you in a way that… when you knew what the mind meld was… so you wouldn't…"

"Think you had lost interest? Were cheating?" She says, a teasing smile on her lips. Yawning, she places her empty glass on the table, slumping back down on my shoulder.

"Well… maybe… but, how long have you known?"

"Oh, you… you mumble in your sleep, you know that? When I sat there one of the days… no, nights, yesh, it was a night, you mumbled something about mind meld and Liara… so, of course I went to ask her…"

"What… did she say?" I can feel some of the fear leaving my body.

"Well, she told me why she had done it… and that you had at first… last? No, it was at first… you had not wanted to do it because of me… you silly… silly… something… I would never… I'm tired, are you tired?" She says, changing the subject faster than I can even fathom it.

"Yeah… maybe a bit… we've still got an hour before we have to be back at the ship. Do you want me to go pay?" I ask, emptying the last droplets in my beer. Well, I can still move my hands normally, so I hope the same goes for my legs.

"Ash?"

No response

"Ash? Are you actually sleeping?" I say, gazing to where her form has slumped against my shoulder. Listening carefully, I can actually pick up her breathing, even above the music. The Batarian version of the king of Rock has ended some time ago. Now I think they're playing some kind of Asari-music. It's a bit calmer, probably because most of the early customers are leaving, and the late ones haven't arrived yet. Kind of like a Siesta.

"Alright, I'll go pay. Just be awake when I come back." I say, lowering her down to the seat while I get up.

_Whoa! Okay, I need to focus here…_

My walk has become a bit more… forced, causing me to spread out both arms as a sort of balance-rod. I probably look silly as hell, but then again, I've had about seven liters of pure Dark Ale before I beat Ash, then we had half a liter afterwards.

"_Don't worry, I've got it…"_ Roku says, and immediately I find it so much easier to walk straight.

"_Wow… what did you just do?"_

"_Well… let's… let's just say that I pieced… eased the burned? No, burden on your system… Damn, you really drunk a lot, you know that?"_ Wait a… he sounds…

"_Roku… are you… drunk?"_

"_He- hell no… spirits don't get drunk… oh dear…"_ I'm close to collapsing on the floor, I'm laughing that hard. Seriously, he is drunk! Roku, the being of divine power with the often ass-hat attitude… is drunk!

"_No… I'm… not… just, the fumes from all the… spirits… yes, that's it… I am just being disturbed by other spirits."_

"_Face it, you're drunk as fuck Roku. Even I handle booze better."_

"_Oh go to hell…"_

"_Sorry, you didn't give me that option." _I think as I reach the bar-counter. The guy standing there looks like he is just seeing another drunken monkey, ready to head home. As I return to the booth, Ash is still lying exactly where I left her. She's snoring. Yes, she is actually snoring again. _Oh dear… do I wake her?_ I can't help but feel the stupid smile that crosses my face when I'm looking at the normally so staunch and steadfast Gunnery Chief. Ashley is the rock I'm standing against, the shield that… well, shields me from harm, and has been pretty much ever since we met. _Since we met… God, how long has it been? Two months? We've only known each other for two months? Well… I've known her, sort of, for years, but…_ it's difficult to probably describe what I'm feeling right now, looking down on the sleeping, snoring and actually slightly drooling form of the most perfect woman in existence. She just… she is _the_ ideal woman, kind and brave, compassionate and vengeful. One second she can be shouting down a Krogan, the next comforting a kid with a scraped knee. Seriously, what the hell does she see in me? I mean, sure I may have saved her life once, on Eden Prime… but since then, she's always been the one saving my ass. She has even stood up for me more than once, and not just about Roku and my past. She… she could have gotten anyone… why did she choose me? Why am I so special?

"_Do… do I really has… have to answer that one?"_

"_I meant besides the obvious."_

Sighing, I look down at Ash again, instantly regaining my smile. I just can't help it. So what if I don't know why she likes me, so what if I don't understand it all. She likes me, and I love her. Bending down, I caress her forehead, wiping a few strains of hair, and a bit of drool, from her face. Wiping it off on my thighs, I run a few fingers over her head. That soft, soft skin… how can someone who's made the military her life, have such soft skin?

"Ash… you ready to go?"

"Mmmmglgbgggb…." Oh Mara… this is just too damn cute.

"Ash… do you want to head back to the ship now? We're only a couple of minutes away from the docks."

"Mmm… don't… wanna walk…" Okay, so at least she is somewhat awake. That's a start.

"Well, then how do you plan on getting back there? Do you want me to carry you?" I say, joking with her. I still remember the last time I tried carrying her, how I failed at that, almost getting the both of us killed. Well, tonight we're not in danger from anything but alcohol poisoning. Which, I guess, is a bad thing as well.

"Mmmmm… Yes please corporal… that's an order… thank you very much…" Okay, that's when my grin disappears. I did not expect her to actually take me seriously there, let alone actually accepting it.

"Ehm… are you sure that's a good idea? I've had even more than you…"

"Just… just follow orders Fish… Fishy… Fisher… Thomas… I may be drunk, but… I iz still giving' you an order…" She says, slurring worse than I've ever heard before. Note to self, make sure Ash doesn't drink _that_ much, the next time we're out. That's when it hit me. Actually, I guess it should have struck home some hours ago, during the movie… but I'm not realizing it until now: I'm on a date… with Ash. I guess the universe is trying to make up for its latest screw-ups.

"Oh well, yes ma'am." I say, bending over her. She lifts her arms towards me like some four-year old wanting her daddy to carry her on his shoulders. New arm or no, I would not be able to do that. My back would probably crack in more than one place. So, instead I do the only thing I can.

Moving my hands under her back and thighs, I swoop her up in what most of all resembles bridal-style. Suddenly, I'm holding a possibly seventy-or-so kilos woman in my arms, not sure if my legs can take it. To hell with it though, I march out of there, a starring audience, and a somewhat blushing Gunnery Chief in my arms. _You know, I just might think my legs can take this after all…_

"_Hells yeah… yes… I haves has… have got to see how this turns out…"_

"_Well… nice to see you are enjoying the show."_

After a few minutes of walking, with a weight that grows heavier by the step, I round a corner, coming face to face with the Normandy… and some kind of woman, with a strange hovering drone-thingy next to her. She has medium length dark hair, and a somewhat middle-eastern tint. Also, she is currently sporting the beginning of a black eye. At first, she looks a bit surprised, as to the way I'm arriving, but she quickly regains her composure… and a somewhat unpleasant look in her eyes. Scanning me and Ash, she suddenly turns on the drone, causing a green light to flicker on. _This can't be good… what did I do now?_

"Good evening Corporal Fisher, just the man I wanted to catch. Though it seems someone else has already done so. I imagine there are some perks to being promoted, no?" She says, shooting a look at Ash. Wait a second… that voice…

"Ehm… who are you again?" I say, still carrying Ash in my arms, sleeping like a baby. A baby with an amount of booze like Barney Gumble with free access to Moe's stuff.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Khalisa Bent Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News." _Oh Fuck! It's her!_

"_Well… this should be interesting."_

"Ehm… Miss Jilani, I'm sure you have some fine questions and all, but I really need-"

"Oh don't worry, it won't take long. Now, we're live." What the- when the fuck did I agree to that?

"_I like her already…"_

"_Yeah, really charming…"_

"I…"

"Corporal Fisher, you have recently been promoted to your current rank, what was the promotion for?" Okay, that was not so bad. I was expecting something far worse.

"Well, I apparently did some really good work on Feros, helping save the colony from the geth."

"I see. The commander of your ship, the Normandy, he is a Quarian right?" she says, a slight frown on her face.

"Yes… John'Shepard has been appointed commander of the Normandy since Anderson stepped down. Why-"

"So, the most advanced and secret warship in the Alliance Navy is now in the hands of a Turian and a Quarian?"

"I guess that's one way to put it… look, why are-"

"So we have effectively handed over the best ship we have, to the council?"

"I don't see why that's-"

"Have you not?"

"Well, I guess the council does decide what missions we go on, but-" I say, but she just turns around to the camera;

"There we have it folks. Humanity has once again had to bow to the council, serving as something akin to an errand-boy."

"Hey wait, that's not-"

"Alright, next question: I have reports that not only are you letting a Quarian command your ship, you are also obeying orders from a Turian, allowing another Quarian to get her hands on the Tantalus Drive-core, and there are Krogan mercenaries onboard as well. How do you defend letting all these types onto a ship that's supposed to be a secret even from most humans?"

"Wha- no! I have no idea what you mean by 'secret', but we hire people by skill, not by race. Can you please ask questions that you actually need _me_ to answer, or can I get back to the ship? I'm kinda burdened here." I say, feeling my left shoulder hurt from the weight.

"Well, since you ask. I have heard that you and Williams have been engaging in scandalous behavior on missions, while even the aliens can restrain themselves. How can you possibly justify whoring out while human lives are at stake?" She says, a smirk on her lips is starting to form. If I wasn't carrying Ash, I would have punched this woman's jaw into the back of her skull. In the background, I suddenly notice Nic has appeared, and is making his way towards us with a slightly worried mine.

"Now, miss Jisani or whatever your name is. As you can see, I'm a bit… occupied, so I politely direct you to speak to my colleague and friend Nicolai Tengberg, who is walking towards us as we speak. I bid you a good evening." I say, barely capable of suppressing a scowl. I nod to her, then turn to face Nic who has just arrived at the scene.

"Hey Nic, care to take over from here?"

"Eh, sure but… who is that?" He says, looking at Jilani who's currently speaking to her drone.

"A hint: If she pisses you off, Hudson pretty much made it a rule to punch her." I can see his face lights up in a mischievous grin.

"No… way. It's her?" He looks like Santa just dropped off an extra big present, just for him.

"Yup, knock yourself out." I say, moving my hands to get a better grip on the sleeping Chief in my arms. As I move past him, I can hear him say;

"Looks like someone had a good night." _Yeah, that's about true…_ I think, entering the docking-tube t the ship. When the V.I has run its course, I proceed down the CIC, gaining looks from multiple eyes still on duty. Some are grinning to themselves, while others are looking at us with a somewhat sweet smile. Others still are frowning. Oh well, no one said I had to be popular outside the ground team.

The stairs are the hard part, forcing me to walk down backwards in order to be able to see where the heck I'm going. When I reach the second deck, I'm glad to see that it's empty, not even Kaidan at his usual post. Everyone seems to have gone to bed early. Using my elbow, I press the panel to the elevator. When it comes to a stop, I enter, not noticing the pair inside until I'm actually inside;

"Well… looks like someone enjoyed his and her evening. Evening miss Williams." A gruff voice says, alerting me to the presence of the two clones. The bald man is easy to recognize, being the only baldy in the squad, Scorch is kinda standing out. The other one, the guy with the gruff voice, has a long scar running down his cheek, on the same one as me. Only, his goes all the way from the top of his forehead, to the bottom of his chin. _Wonder how the hell he got that one… must be Sev._

"Yeah Sev, it's young love. Or just two really drunk people."

"Heh heh heh… they never get any smarter, do they?" Sev chuckles. It's really creepy actually.

"Hey, to my defense, I'm not drunk. Ash just is… and needs to lie in her bed and sleep."

"Mmm, you're sure that's all you are going to? Put her to bed?" Sev says, raising a brow.

"Hey come on Sev, don't pester them." Scorch says, before turning to me; "Sorry about that, he had a small… contest, with Wrex, the big red Krogan. They ended up drinking huge amounts of something called Ryncol or something. Sev handles alcohol just fine, but the amount he drank? He could have killed a Rancor with that much alcohol."

"Mara… he's going to have a sore head in the morning." I say, smiling at Sev who is starting to look mildly pissed. I didn't know you could get a Rancor to drink alcohol…

"Oh yeah, if you like journalists, there's one outside now, asking questions to whoever wants to listen."

"Nah, I think I'm going to keep Sev away from Journalists for a while. We met one earlier today, and… well, he gave her a right hook. Granted, she was annoying as hell, but… nah, I don't mind him doing it. she was asking all kinds of questions about our equipment, why we all looked alike, if we were part of some creepy cloning-program, if we were made to overthrow our human masters… that's when Sev punched her." Could it be…

"That journalist… was she Arabic, really annoying and had this drone flying next to her?" I say, waiting for the elevator to reach the crew-deck.

"Yep… and she was called Jilani-something-something-something…"

"Damn… Sev, you may not know it, but you may be on the news soon. 'Hero of the Citadel' Sev-Oh Seven recently defeated the evil tabloid journalist Khalisa Bent Sinan al-Jilani, saving humankind and celebrities alike. Sev, I would shake your hand if I wasn't tied up here." I say, not managing to suppress a grin.

"Well, we're on our way to the hangar to pick up our stuff. There's this weird woman who keeps relocating it."

"Ah, that's just Kasumi. Don't worry, she doesn't mean anything by it."

"Hmm, a strange way to chat with crewmates…" Scorch says, giving me a puzzled look.

"Yeah well, that's just how she is. Where do you guys sleep by the way? I don't think I've seen you in the crew quarters."

"Nah, we've grown used to sleeping in pods, so we're using the sleeper pods near the battery."

"Those are for sleeping?"

"Yeah?"

"Oh… well I never guessed that… oh, my stop." I say, noticing that the elevator has finally stopped.

"Sure, have fun." Sev says, resulting in Scorch jabbing him hard in the side.

"What?" I can hear him say as I leave the elevator behind. A small frown emerges on my face as his words finally sink in. _He thinks I'm going to… have… have sex with her?_

"_Hmm… that would be what most young men would do to a drunken beauty like her… I'm glad to say that you seem to be different."_

"_Glad to hear you're sober again, and yeah, I mean… I think I… I… this is all so…"_

"_New? Uncomfortable? Nerve-wracking?"_

"_Yeah… I mean… I would, I think…"_

"_If I were you, whom I, to some extend is… I would wait. The first time shouldn't be drunk."_

"_That's… a good advice…"_

"_They mostly are…"_ Roku says.

Entering the crew quarters, I find the three only bunks unoccupied, one of them being is still out there somewhere, so I have to guess that the bed with man-clothes, socks, a table with a disassembled gun in parts, and an example of… Fornax? That must be his bunk. Lucky sod got one of the bunks facing towards the wall, meaning that he got a bedside table. While the other bed is mine, I'm guessing that the last one is Ash's.

Walking over to it, careful not to wake anyone, I am finally able to place her down on the bed. Getting up from my crouched position, I steal a glance at her sleeping facial features. _So… so beautiful. _I can't help but smile, feeling a small lump in my throat looking at her. Turning in the bed, she appears to be awake. Or at least, if you would call being half-way dead from booze to be awake.

"Mmmmm… Thomas?"

"Shhhhh… just sleep. Your head will probably kill you in the morning you know?"

"Mmm… how did… how did I end up here?" She mumbles, half-way asleep.

"I carried you, remember?"

"Mmmmm… such a gentleman…" She says, before almost instantly proceeding to snore. If only booze could make me fall asleep that fast.

"Well babe, that's what I'm here for." I say, sneaking back to my own bunk, leaving her to sleep it out. Shaking my own shoes off, I discard the shirt and uniform, pulling off my pants and throwing them over the rail above my head, working as an extra step for whoever is sleeping above me. Well, at least he or she, can't be as bad as the guy on Eden Prime.

…

October 2th, 2183

Normandy Mess-hall 08:25 (Ship time)

"Morning Fisher!" Garrus shouts from the mess-hall's largest table. The crew, both ground and ship, is gathered here to enjoy something I thought I should never see aboard the Normandy: A buffet. Along the wall, near the consoles where Kaidan normally work, a long table has been positioned, made with a tablecloth and covered with sausages, scrambled eggs, bacon and bread with jelly. And that's just the Amino-acid. For the Dextroes, there are Turian sausages, steaks and tubes with flavored and spiced versions of human oatmeal. Ash is already digging into a large portion of scrambled eggs and bacon, a pained expression on her face. I guess she is having hangovers… Wrex has grabbed for seven man sausages and Garrus is munching a mix of the oatmeal and some Dextro-sausages. I guess people have different tastes, but seriously, oatmeal and sausages? I guess Turians lack something called taste buds. John and Tali are both sitting with each their tubes, sucking whatever is actually in them. The clones are sitting a bit off to the side, with the exception of the bald one, Scorch. For some reason he has positioned himself across the table from Liara, who seems to be eating the Scrambled eggs with even more vigor than Wrex can muster against the sausages. Scorch, and the squad, being humans in, well, in appearance and I guess in the genetics as well, are eating the same as Ash, and Nic himself has sat down next to Tequila with a plate filled to the brim with bacon and bread with strawberry-jelly. Waltzing over to the long table, I just send Garrus a smile, letting him know he won't get the satisfaction of making my head scream, just like he's probably done with Ash already. Kaidan has joined the original table, sitting there alongside with Jane and Nihlus, looking like they're deep in conversation with Chakwas. It seems all of them have finished breakfast, as they are sporting a few mugs of steaming black coffee. Expect for Jane, who has delved into the new supplies of tea Nic bought from Yalina, deep in discussion with Navigator Pressly. Returning from the buffet with a plate full of scrambled eggs, bacon and bread with jelly, I notice that it has become something of a rule where people sit. Everyone is pretty much sitting exactly where they did the first tie Nic made curry chicken. Idle talk is merging, becoming an incoherent mass of noise. The spot next to Ash is still free, if you don't count in the ice-bag currently sitting in front of it. _Man, she must really hate her life right now… speaking of which, how come I don't have a hangover, I wonder…"_

"_Ssssshhhh… not so many thoughts…"_

"_Oh yeah, that's why…"_ I think with a smile. Roku really took the bullet there, but I didn't ask him to do it, so it's on him. Still, I'm grateful I'm not the one with a hangover right now. I think I'll leave that part to Ash. As I sit down next to her, she gingerly removes the bag of ice from the table to let me put down my things. Sitting down, I give her a brief kiss on the cheek, and for a moment it seems like the pain vanishes from her face. Still, it returns shortly after.

"Morning Ash, how's the head?" I ask, spreading the jam on my bread.

"Mmmmm…. Not, not that loud… head is… killing me…" She says, pressing the bag of ice harder toward her temple.

"Sorry, but at least, now you know how I feel half of the time." I say with a grin. Putting down the knife I jam the entire piece of toast inside in only one bite.

"Scchhhh… Do you… do you know what's good against hangovers?"

"Ofer dan or eer?... sorry, 'other than more beer?" I say, swallowing the lump.

"Yeah… not going there again… how come you don't have a headache?" She says, giving me a look over. I just shrug, starting to dig into my scrambled eggs;

"Well, turns out that Roku can't take alcohol. He apparently felt like taking the drunkenness from me, ensuring I could actually carry you back. Now, he pays the price for it."

"Damn… poor guy."

"Nah, he'll get over it. By the way, I don't know if you were awake when I carried you back, but do you know who I ran into on my way back?" I say, scooping in a forkful of scrambled eggs.

"No, who? An old friend more?" Ash says, forking her bacon.

"Not exactly a friend. A journalist named Khalisa bent Sinan Al-Jilani."

"Hmm… I've heard about her alright. Tabloid, right?"

"Yeah… she asked me a lot of questions, one of them I think involved you, but I'm not sure."

"Bad ones?" She says, a worried look on her face as she finishes her scrambled eggs.

"Well, let's just say, that if I hadn't had you in my arms, plus the dislocated shoulder, I would have relocated her jaws. I can feel a bit of the spite from last night coming back up again."

"You have a dislocated shoulder? Why haven't you seen Chakwas yet?"

"Don't worry, I will… and I've got to see if someone on this ship knows how to fix a short-circuited arm." I say, flexing the arm in mention. Oddly enough, it hurts a lot less than yesterday.

"Huh… let me guess: it happened in the explosion?"

"Yeah…"

"How come, that you haven't even been in active service for more than two months, and already you've collected more scars than Wrex?" She says, astonishment written on her face. I shrug;

"Well, maybe I'm just unlucky." I say, crunching down my last toast.

"Hmm, or maybe you need more training. Remember, you were actually only in boot camp for one day. The fact that you're still alive speaks volumes."

"For me or you?"

"Me, of course." She says, a small grin etched on her lips before they are contorted again by pain, caused by the headache no doubt.

"Hmm, what do you say we take a round on the mats, right after breakfast?" She says.

"Uhm… don't you have a headache?" I say, scratching my neck.

"Yeah, but you have a dislocated shoulder. It should be fairly even."

"Hmpf… why do I get the feeling it's going to be broken by the time we're done?" I say, rubbing the body part in mention.

"Nah, I'll go easy on you. But we really need to get you in shape again. So, first thing after breakfast, you head down to the gym and I'll be your coach."

"Yay… great, more torture… I can't wait." I say, giving her a sly smile. Suddenly, Ash, having finished her breakfast, puts down her fork and knife, and leans over on my shoulder.

"You know… I had fun last night. More than I've had for quite some time." She says, her voice suddenly much softer. I can't help but smile, feeling the fire rise from my stomach. Gently, I put my arm around her, and give her a soft hug.

"Yeah, me too. I actually thought you could drink more than that." I say to tease her.

"Hey, to my defense… I let you win." She says, pouting in fake-hurt.

"Oh? So when you collapsed on the floor, that was acting?"

"I would punch your face, if it wasn't that damn handsome, you lucky sod."

"Yeah, I'm lucky… So far I've been killed twice, blown through the air by a rocket, shot more times than I can count, been in a death-struggle with a biotic clone, suffered from hallucinations, tried to kill myself and finally I've been blown up and buried alive… so yeah, I… I guess I'm lucky." I say, reciting injuries while counting on my fingers. Ash just throws her free hand up, almost hitting my face;

"Fine, fine… actually, now that I think about it, I think you've suffered more injuries than anyone else on this ship combined… even Wrex."

"If you had told me, just two months ago, that today I would be able to compare and best Wrex in scars… I would have been very skeptical, you know that?" I say, scratching her back outside the uniform. I can practically feel the occasional shiver running down her spine.

"So, Tengberg, what's the occasion for this grand feast? You must have burned through quite a bit of rations to make this." Garrus says, still chewing on his turian sausage. God that sounded wrong. Looking up with a strand of bacon sticking out from his mouth, Nic quickly swallows it, looking at where the voice came from. Locating Garrus, he shrugs;

"Yeah well, I kinda thought we had something to celebrate."

"True enough. The Council actually believing us… I'd say that qualifies as a reason." Garrus says with a happy voice; "I say, we bring a cheers to the guys who made that possible. To Shepard, Fisher, Nihlus and that spirit!" Garrus says, raising his glass of fruit-concentrate. The other guys, even Wrex and Jane, raise their glasses as well, and a loud, if not incoherent 'Hear, hear' is shouted across the deck. I am not quite sure how to react to this. No one's ever brought a… what's it called, a 'salute'? In my name. Looking around, I can see John looking around as well, looking just as confused. Damn, and now my cheeks are heating up. I never was good to deal with being the center of attention. At least Nihlus doesn't seem to… hey, where _is_ Nihlus?

"_I detect him to be in the men's bathroom. I refuse to give further details."_

"_Thanks, much appreciated."_

"Thank you Garrus. Thanks all of you." John says, getting up from his seat. Is there a speech underway?

"And, it may be true that it was the three of us who convinced the council, but… and I stress this: We would never have been able to do it without the rest of you. Now, we may not have served together for that long, but there is no one else I would rather have at my side through this. We are going to hunt Saren down, and we are going to stick our main cannon up his and Sovereign's collective ass, and we're going to blast them straight to whatever hell they crawled out of!" Cheers and shouts erupt all over the room, as well as from the additional crewmembers sitting at the new table purchased at the Citadel. John has actually become quite a popular captain, even from those previously reluctant to accept an alien commandeering the Normandy. Looking towards the table with the rest of the ground crew, I spot Pressly smiling while looking at John. I remember reading somewhere that Pressly was somewhat uncertain about having all these aliens aboard, but he actually seems like he's opened up towards John. Sitting down again John suddenly looks at me. It takes me a while to realize that it isn't simply to look at me… he wants me to get up as well. _Hmpf, no thank you. I'm pretty sure you're the only one who would want that John…_

"Hey Fisher, don't you have a speech as well?" I hear someone shout. I don't even get the chance to look for the source, before more people join in, demanding that I say something as well. _Fuck!_ Looking to my side to find some kind of support, I notice Ash is looking at me as well, gesturing for me to get up.

"Oh no… no no no!" I growl to her, careful to keep my voice low.

"Come on, you can't be _that_ bad." She says, not at all careful about keeping her voice down.

"Yeah come on Corporal, say something." Another voice says. God Dammit! _Do I really have to?_

"_Come on, as Ash said: you can't be that bad."_

_Great…_

Slowly, I get up, looking around. Most of the people in here are looking straight at me, while a few are still hunched over their breakfast. I remember that I'm supposed to say something, noticing the stares. _Oh dear…_

"Uhm… hi… Yeah, I'm Thomas Fisher, though most of you just seem to know me as Fisher… or, actually it's Fisker, but… let me just start over, alright?" I say, scratching my neck and feeling the boiling feeling rise in all body parts;

"Okay, so yeah, we convinced the council that the Reapers are real, and that Saren is trying to bring them back… and that Sovereign is a Reaper, and… now we have the council on our side, I mean, more than we did before, and… well, I haven't been on the Normandy for as long as I would want, and my time here has, without a doubt, been the best in my life. And, that is actually counting in all the times I've been smashed to crumbs. I've been reunited with my best friend, meet a woman like none else, and to top all of that off, I've met some of the most fantastic individuals I'll probably ever get the honor of working with. I've even had the chance to fight alongside Shepard, both of them, and both of them have saved my life at least once. If anyone ever tells me that there is something better than this job… I'd tell him to lay off on the booze." I say the last part with a grin, and there is laughter around me, as well as an applause or two, and a 'Hell yeah' somewhere out there. _Okay… where the hell did all that come from? I actually did quite well._ I think as I sit down again, receiving a peck on my chin from the side.

"Not bad. You sure you've never done speeches before?" Ash says, snuggling into me. We've kinda become _the_ couple on the ship, next after John and Tali, because, well he is the commander, and she is the cute engineer everyone loves like a little sister, even me… despite the fact that I think she's at least one year older than me… and is probably still a little bit annoyed over the fact that I knew about the ambush in the back-alley, yet still carried through with taking her there.

Still, I think she may be warming towards me, if slowly. I don't think it is in her nature to have a grudge against people. Looking back at Ash, my mind slowly pushes out less cheerier thoughts. Hell, I've got it made here, so no need for moody thoughts. Not yet at least. Still, Virmire is coming closer with each day, and I have still not gotten to the part where I have the engines from Kasumi. Speaking of the devil, where is that little Asian now? I haven't seen or heard from her since we took off from the Citadel.

"Sure, unless you count in presentations in classes back home… other than that: never." I say, continuing to scratch her back, with the occasional shivers as a result.

"Hmm… well, speech or not, you've made a difference here, ya know?"

"How so?"

"Well, I'm obviously not talking about the fact that the council will now be preparing for the Reapers…"

"So, what then?"

"Well, you've made sure this ship is more prepared as well, and that we will soon have better than state-of-the-art weapons… and, I suspect that, if not for you, we wouldn't have the clone-guys onboard now."

"Sure, that's something… but don't you think you or Kaidan or Jane could have stopped a firefight from breaking out as well?"

"I'm not talking about the stand-off. I'm talking about the fact that we even got them onboard." She says, gesturing towards the four commandoes sitting to themselves. Sev has somehow found the time to start disassembling a hand-pistol, spreading the parts out on the table. I briefly look at them, before turning back towards Ash.

"Well, that might have been an unexpected bonus…"

"Whatever, are you ready to head down to the gym?" Ash says, slowly getting out of the embrace. Reluctantly, I let her go, not really wanting to end the cuddling, but at the same time, she's right. And, I have to give her credit for wanting to spar now.

"Yeah, yeah sure… you go on ahead, I've gotta ask Nicolai about something." I say, slowly getting up from my seat. Ash follows, heading towards the lift. Having dumped my dish in the dishwasher, I head back towards where Nic is sitting, apparently trying to talk Tequila into something.

"Hey Nic, can I ask you about something?" I say, making him aware of my presence. Turning to face me, he adapts the best Godfather-pose I've seen in years;

"So… you come before me, on this day of my friends promotion… what can I do for you?" Dear God, he would only need the orange to make it complete. That, and the gray hair and a moustache.

"You remember that Journalist from yesterday?" I ask, taking a chair. It looks like there is a degree of fear in his eyes, but it quickly passes.

"Oh fuck… did C-Sec call?"

"What? Why would C-Sec… what happened, exactly, when I left you alone with her?" I somewhat hope he didn't kill her… you know, because that would be bad. Or, I think it would.

"Well, when you left, she started questioning me. At first it was innocent enough, my name, job and so on and so on… then she asked about you and Ash, and I replied that was none of her business…" He says, giving a faint smirk.

"Okay, but why should C-Sec call because of that?" Tequila asks, entering the conversation.

"Well… then she suddenly showed me this film where Tali and I were walking around inside the Tea-shop. I Swear, that angle… she would have to have been standing outside the window facing the fly-roads… but… we were high above the roads… how the hell did she get those films?" He says, throwing out a hand, almost hitting Wrex in the process.

"Well, then she started insinuating that I was having an affair with a 'suit-rat', something 'degenerating' for humans, knowing that she is with Shepard. So, not only did she imply that Tali was cheating on John… she called her a suit-rat!" I sigh. This was exactly what I had been both fearing and hoping for.

"What… did you do to her?"

"Well, I can imagine she might be on a hospital somewhere by now… oh don't look at me like that, I didn't maim her or anything." He says, taking his hands up in a defensive form.

"Well, than what?"

"I slammed her camera to the ground, then punched her in the face and when she tried running, I threw the drone after her. I… might have broken her arm, but I'm not sure." He says the last part with a bit of regret, but I suspect it's regret that he might not have broken it after all.

"Jesus Tengberg, that's extreme!" Tequila says, looking at him with a mixture of appall and excitement.

"Hey, she was a total bitch! You should have met her Teresa, I'm pretty sure you would have done the same."

"Maybe, but seriously, you threw her own camera after her?"

"Well, normally Shepard would have punched her, so…" He says, shrugging her verbal attack off. I leave the two of them to bicker, thinking to myself that they will either end up with a gun pointed at each other, or together… or maybe both.

Leaving the elevator from the mess-hall to the crew-deck, I can see Ash has actually changed into a training outfit, consisting of shorts, a black t-shirt and a pair of indoor-shoes. Her forms are… somewhat noticeable through the shirt. Noticing me, Ash bows down, picking up a white bag and throws it at me. Catching it, I look at the contents: A pair of indoor-shoes, a white sports T-shirt, a pair of gray shorts and a sweatband. It's workout clothes. How the… did Ash buy this for me? When? Wait, she spent her free-time before the cinema being out shopping, didn't she?

"Go change, I've got a nice long program for you." She says, inspecting one of the machines along the wall. Seven minutes or so later, I'm dressed up in my new sportswear. Walking back towards Ash, I can't help but notice how much easier it is to move in this dress-up, instead of in my everyday clothes.

"Alright Ash… what have you gotten in store for me? Lift the Mako?" I say, a small smirk crawling across my lips.

"Nah, not yet. I think we'll start with something a bit easier. Know this thing?" Ash says, pointing at the contraption next to her.

"Yeah, it's a… what's the word in English? Bench-presser?" I say. Oddly enough, I've lately found that some words are not translated when I speak them, resulting in some odd shifts in my voice when the translator glitches.

"Close enough, but you've at least got the idea. Now, since we have a couple of them, I'll throw you a little challenge."

"Oh?"

"Take more than me, and you get to decide the next place we go one a date." Ash says, a coy smile on her lips. _Damn woman… how can you even exist? You're just too… too good to be true._

"_Well, the rules of your old dimension may not play in here"_

"_Not what I meant… but thanks."_

"So… you actually meant what you said, that you had fun?" I ask, a little less secure than her.

"Of course, I had a blast. Especially at the bar. Why?"

"Oh it's just that… well, it _was_ the first date I've ever been on, and for some reason I was sure that I'd managed to fuck something up." I say, scratching my neck. I can't help but do it; it's kind of a reflex, something involuntary.

"Nah, I think you did quite well, although it was obvious that you were a bit insecure at times."

"Thanks, really. I… you know I'm not good with… the softer stuff in… when I'm talking, but… I don't think I would have ever been this happy if it wasn't for you Ash." Fuck, I can feel the lump pressing on again. Why does it have to do that every time I express my feelings?

"Awww, thanks. Now, before we both end up crying from sheer emotion at by the wall, how about we get that bench-press going?" She says, a mix between the warm smile and the coy one. I snap a salute which, I'm sure, must look really weird with me standing here in shorts and all.

"Aye, Aye ma'am." I say, joining her at the machines. When we're both laid down, in the right position, we started out simultaneously.

"One" She says, obviously feeling secure enough on her victory to actually spend air on speaking.

_One_

"Two"

_Two. _I think, not wanting to waste precious energy on words.

After what feels like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes, my entire body feels like it's on fire. _I can't keep this…. Thirty-nine… up for much… forty… longer!_ Stealing a glimpse at Ash, I spot a few pearls of sweat on her face, but she looks nowhere near as pummeled as I am. I'm absolutely destroyed, but there is this little sushi-place that I saw on our way to the meeting with Valern, and I love sushi.

"Fifty-one" _What the- how the hell did she get that far ahead?_

_Forty-five!_

_Forty-six!_

_Forty… Forty… come on body! Forty-seven!_

"Fifty-three" I can hear the strain in her voice, so she must be reaching her limit as well. I hope.

_Forty… Forty-eight! I can't… I can't do this… Forty-nine! Just one more!_

"Fifty-five" Ash groans.

_Fifty! Not… one…fucking…more!_ I groan, falling down on the bench;

"A… A… Ash… I…no… more…" I manage to get out a few words, but she just keeps going;

"What's the… matter Tho…mas? Tired al… ready?" She says between the crunches. Seriously, she can speak at this point? What the hell is she?

"Seriously Ash… how… the… hell… can you… still speak?" I gasp.

"Well… when you've… been in… the Alliance… for as…huh… as long as… I have… you work up… a good… get a… good shape" She says. She looks like she can just go on and on.

"Seventy, Alright…" Ash says, finally stopping her killing-spree, so to speak. My stomach feels like it's about to rip itself out.

"How… the… Hell?"

"Well Thomas, looks like I won."

"Fine… kick a… the man lying down, I won't… mind…" I say, rolling off the contraption and landing on the floor with a heavy_ thud_. Looking up at the ceiling, I can't help but notice how the hot air is creating a beautiful flimmering light. Almost like there's a cloaked sniper up there, just waiting to blow my brains out.

"Oh, that's not really in my nature. How about helping him up instead?" Ash asks, extending a hand.

"Sure… I can… cope with that…" I say, grasping her hand with my artificial one. Despite everything I knew about it, being short-circuited and all, the hand actually works perfectly. Even the thumb, the one finger that was completely fried, is working like it should. _What the hell? What __**is**__ this arm anyway?_

"_Don't ask me, I'm no tech-expert."_

"_Well that's a first...Remind me to ask Emhart about it…"_

"_Thomas…"_

"_Later, remind me later." _

"Alright, we'll take a short break, five minutes, and then we'll head over to push-ups. And for your own sake, don't use the new arm to cheat, the biological one will suffer from it." Ash says, gesturing to my cyborg-arm.

"Then why do people in movies take one-armed push-ups?"

"Because, they are stupid. If you only take one-armed pushups, the shoulders, as well as the joints, _will_ take damage, no matter how big your muscles are." _Right… I guess that makes sense…_

I head over to the bathroom to get freshened up a bit, mainly to have some water. I think I might just have sweated it all out.

_God, that is… that's the stuff…._ I moan to myself as I pour a few tankards down the drain. Mara, that was… I needed that. My body is still burning, but I'm not that bad off anymore. It does strike me as a little odd, actually. Earlier, I would be half-way dead by now, having endured that kind of exercise. I wonder why not now.

"_Yeah, you can thank me later, when it's saved your life."_

"_Are you the one doing this to me?"_

"_Well, some of it. I am not the one that made you do all those crunches, but I'm helping you rejuvenate by redirecting some inner flows of energy."_

"_What flows are we talking about?"_

"_Well, the majority are the ones that would normally give you a boner from seeing Ashley in a tight outfit like that. The rest is just hair-growth."_

"_Oookaaayyyy… that wasn't disturbing at all…"_

"_Hey, you asked."_

"Alright Thom, ready to get your balls pounded again?" Oh Gods, that just sounded wrong in context when it comes from her. At least, it does yet. _Okay, can we NOT have those thoughts right now?_

"Sure, let's… let's get on with it." I say, moving to where Ash is sitting on the floor. We both drop down on all four, and assume the traditional "I'm going to rape your arms!" stand.

We both start at the same time, dropping to floor level and raising ourselves again. Some people might actually see this as being a date, but right now, I think Ash is more of my superior than my girlfriend. Oh well, can't have it all, can I?

"One!"

…

September 25th

Illium

Dry-dock D-47

The big door to the garage-like room creaked and screamed when opened, but Magnus paid it little heed. His mind was still in turmoil, screaming one thing one moment, another the next moment.

_Tara accepts my story… does she count me as insane, or is she herself- no, no I don't have the right to… but what if… no, I have to remain… but… all else in my life… Jane, Tali and Garrus, hell even Kaidan, that sappy son of a bitch… wonder what the hell Ashley saw in… no, I have to… _

His mind wouldn't shut up, screaming one thing one moment, another the next. While watching the gate slowly slide open, he couldn't help but comparing the sight of the rust-bucket of a ship to when he had seen the Normandy for the first time, standing alongside Jane, his new commander, and greeting David Anderson, their new CO. It had been the start of a new life, or at least, a new chapter in his already commenced one with Jane, the, even that far back, undisputed most perfect woman in the world, despite all her flaws and faults. Despite what she had done in her past, despite what he had witnessed. They had both done things neither were particularly proud of, Jane especially. He could still, with almost perfect clarity, recall the scene where she had collapsed on the ground on Torfan, starring at her blood-soaked hands, horror in her eyes.

_She just sat there, numb and oblivious to the entire world. The bodies and parts of said, littered the ground around her, intestines and bones, limbs and heads spread out before her like some macabre show at a bizarre market. The survivors, those who had been lucky enough to stand at the very far end at the mob, were still scrunching for safety, running and screaming, while the less fortunate, those wounded but to seriously to be survive, let alone be able to run away, were slumped against the buildings, or were lying on the ground, screaming while clutching at their spilled entrails, or grabbing at their non-existent leg, now gone, erased from reality by one of the waves of biotic energy the red-haired woman had sent flying around, like waves, washing away at the banks of sand in Rio. She had not just torn off their legs, heads or other body parts. She had erased all else. If a head or a limb was to be found somewhere, it meant that the rest of said person had been warped to a non-existent molecular level, completely gone from this world. Slowly, as the survivors made the distance between themselves and the crazed biotic even greater, the screaming fell in intensity. _

_Looking back at Jane, he had seen how the woman had taken off her helmet, tossed it on the ground as if it was something foul. He had only been able to stare in horror, as well as the two other remaining in their squad had, while she unleashed her in-human powers upon the populace._

_He had seen, how she had stared at her hands, the biotic light fading away. _

_He had seen the horror on her face as reality came back to her._

_He had even seen the tremors, the tears and the half-way insane look upon her face. A look brought from realization of horrible acts. _

"_Jane!" He had screamed, running at the now bent-over woman. He had not known what to do, how to react, only that he had to be there, not sure if it was being there for her, or to ensure she didn't lose it and hurt more colonists. When he had reached her, he had all but thrown himself to the ground next to her, taking both her hands in his. It had been a mix between the type of grasping that one would do with a person in deep inner turmoil and sorrow, as well as the kind you would do before clasping them in iron. _

_He did no such thing, however. He had taken her hands, and looked into her face. What he had seen there had scared him more than anything he had seen so far: Streaming with tears, red with guilt and the snapping of a mind, were two empty eyes. There had been nothing inside of them, as if the woman belonging to them had got up and left the body before he had reached her. It had been like starring at one of those figures you would see in the shopping-malls. It was a dead figure, like what he had been looking at right then and there. _

"_Jane! Jane look at me God Dammit! Jane!" _

"Magnus?" A voice suddenly said, pulling him out from his memories of darker days, memories of events he would rather had never taken place. Looking to the source of the voice, he could see Tara standing a few meters ahead, looking at him with what could have passed for a worried look in what he could see of her eyes.

"Mmm?" He said, not sure how to react, if she had noticed his fading out, or if she had just asked him something.

"You… you look like you were deep in thoughts… is it still the, you know, issue if I think you might be insane?" She said, voicing the anxiousness he had carried since being let out of the hospital. Frankly, he was surprised they had simply let him walk out from there that easy. He had feared they would start calling security for all sorts of reasons the second Tara asked the nurse if they could leave. Somehow, ever since he had met Tara, most things had started going the right way. With the exception of the moment she had broken the news to him, it had been a walk in the park, compared to what he had been used to until that.

"No… no, just… I was just… never mind, it's not important." He dismissed it, trying to shove the ugly scene from six years ago from his mind. Jane wasn't here anymore, actually she had never been.

"Well, if you're sure… we need to start getting to work on getting the Ashanti space-worthy… I've only got this place for six more weeks."

"Sure… sure. So… what do we need? What should I do?" He asked, shifting between looking at the relatively small freighter, being no more than twenty meters in length, at most, and ten meters broad, at the very most. It wasn't designed to carry a tank, or ore enough to supply a factory, but it could easily manage the supplying of colonies by bringing stuff, such as food, materials or just everyday necessaries. Still, it needed a serious overhaul. Walking towards the ship, Tara rubbed her neck, giving the whole craft a quick once-over;

"Well, before I met you, I got most of the materials, including the plating for the places where the hull is unstable, as well as a ship-grade shield generator, to use against… you know, the occasional unforeseen trouble." Tara said, giving him a light shrug. If he hadn't known any better, Magnus would have sworn he could hear a smirk in her voice.

"How about armaments?"

"Armaments?" Tara asked with a slightly confused voice.

"You know, guns, GARDIAN-lasers and such?"

"Oh… well, that… I didn't actually think about that when I was getting the materials… didn't think I would need it since, you know, I wasn't planning on going to active war with someone… I should have gotten them, right?" He could practically hear the way she was looking at her toes, as if she had just failed the driver's license test. _I probably have to get a new one myself by the way…_ He thought with a slight smile.

"Well, you are right in one understanding: We're not going to active war with someone, so I guess we can manage with minimal weapons, as long as we avoid the places with low security, as well as try and stick with convoys and such. By the way, what do you plan on using this… _Ashanti_ for?"

"I… was thinking that I could make money by running cargo between the colonies… I think Mindoir is still rebuilding from the Slaver-attack a few years back…" Tara said. She couldn't possibly have known it, but that one word, Mindoir, struck a chord within the human next to her. Magnus could feel his heart almost kicking his ribs out;

"What… a slaver attack on Mindoir?" He asked her, his normally casual voice now being very, very quiet. He could still remember how Jane had told him about the attack, how she had seen her parents gunned down in front of her, at the age of eleven, how her friends had been either chained up, or, as it happened to her idolized sixteen-year old friend, a girl named Alex, taken to an empty house to be gang-raped by one Batarian after the other, to the point where she had been begging for them to just kill her, while the screams from the building had made her mother throw up, while her dad had been kicked in the head when he tried getting up to help his daughter. Jane had seen them both gunned down a little while after, when the Batarians had started leaving the building, all of them a smirk on their faces, some with blood on their clothes and most of them sending looks towards Alex's parents, one even nodding. That had also been the point where both the parents had been shoved in there to retrieve their daughter… or, what was left of her. He remembered Jane's exact words from the day she told him;

"_I… that's when I stopped crying long enough to notice that they hadn't come out again… I thought… hoped that they would come out, maybe helping a crying Alex walk between them. I was young… even at that point, I couldn't fathom the evil in those men… no, not men… animals… no, not that either. Animals, not even Hyenas, don't rape their victims… their prey… they just say 'snap'" Jane had said, idly gesturing with a hand, like a jaw closing around the throat of an unlucky animal; "And that's it. What they did to Alex… a few minutes after her parents entered the building… I don't know if it was because it took them that long to find her, or… or to recognize her… but that was when the screaming started…" Jane had looked like she suddenly became physically ill, remembering that part of her childhood._

"_What… happened then?" He had been stupid enough to ask her. _

"_They just kept screaming… like… no, I don't think there is a way to compare it to anything else. It was like hearing the sound of a heart torn out, over and over. I… I don't think there is another way to describe it. When the screaming finally stopped… I realized that I had thrown up, and that… that…"_

"_Would you… rather not talk about this Jane?" He had asked. Of course, since he cared about her, Magnus had wanted to know the truth in order to help her, even though he had never told her the truth about him. It didn't matter though, as that would have only served to push her over the edge._

"_No… No I want to finally talk about this to someone not trained as a shrink."_

"_So… what was it that happened then?" Magnus could have slapped himself at that point, and in all the time following, he mentally did so every time he remembered that conversation._

"_They… the slavers, they went inside the building, shots were fired and they dragged out their bodies, as well as a… as a… a… a girl. I… don't even know what they had done to her, to twist her body in that shape, like that… but… she didn't even look human anymore. I… I don't remember what happened after that, only that I could feel… anger… when… when I came to, I was surrounded by dead Batarians, and colonist, my friends, relatives and such… they looked at me, with fear in their eyes… like I was the monster… like I was something inhuman. I was only eleven, how was I supposed to know what had happened? I thought the Alliance or something had arrive d and killed the bad men… the slavers, but… that's when I noticed the still warm, wet feeling on my hands, and… and I screamed, when I discovered that my hands were covered in blood, black blood. There was one of the slavers alive, lying only a few meters away… he said… said… he…" Jane had slowly been starting to let the tears emerge, not even caring to wipe them away until they reached her lips, and she had used a sleeve to dry her face._

"_Jane… it's okay." Magnus had learned in, pulling her into a strong, yet gentle embrace. She had resisted the first few seconds, then given in._

"_He said… he said: 'What the… what the hell __**are**__ you?" And looked at me like one would look at a monster, or something that… that hides under your bed." She had said the last part with a small sniff, as well as a faint chuckle at the last part. It wasn't a happy chuckle though. Magnus had long since learned to tell the difference. _

"_Jane…" He had said, forcing her face away so that he could look her in the eyes. Those beautiful green eyes._

"_Am I… a monster?" She had asked him in, what actually had astonished him the most, all seriousness. He had kept his eyes locked with hers;_

"_Jane… how long have we known each other now?" _

"_About… two years, I think."_

"_That's about right. Listen Jane: You may be many things: a hardass, a charming woman, compassionate and ass-kicking, soft and hard, sometimes even scary… sexy as hell, on a personal note, and above all, you are faithful to those under you. When the order to evacuate came, you didn't leave Vega to die under those debris, you told command to go fuck themselves, where after you saved his sorry Latino ass… no wonder that guy has looked up to you since. And people don't look up to monsters." He had said the last part with a smirk on his lips. Lips that were soon met by her tear-wetted ones. When she broke away, she had said one word only;_

"_Thanks"_

"Magnus, you are doing it again." Tara said, once again causing him to snap out his memories. Looking around, he noticed that his arm was extended in front of him, currently searching the extra-net for cheap small-scale ship-to-ship weapons, lasers preferably, but they tended to be expensive, plus demanding one hell of a power output. Still, they pretty much ignored the shielding on ships, no matter how strong it was. _Can't beat flying photons…_ he thought to himself.

"I know… just… thinking about things lost… old times, you know." He said, trying to sound casual, but it was still weird as fuck to talk to her about these things.

"Hmm, no I don't… which I guess means I should count myself lucky… but… you just kinda snapped away when I mentioned the attack on Mindoir… do you know someone living there?"

"Don't… I don't think so… at least, not anymore…" He said, closing the browser. They couldn't afford any of it. At least, not with the two-thousand credits Tara still had left. She had somehow been able to hide that much in her boots, just in case of an assault. Which strangely enough happened later the same day.

"Anymore?"

"Well… Mindoir was where Jane was born. She saw the Batarians slaughter her family, her friends… rape an older girl… I don't expect you to understand, not this early at least." He said, apologizing. He could still not wrap his head around the fact that some things were actually the same in the two different universes. Not only were the places luckily the same, but for some reason, the same events took place again.

_I hope to the Gods that doesn't mean there is a now fifteen year old Jane Shepard out there who had to go through the same shit…_

"Well, that's a surprise… that's where Shepard met the Alliance soldiers he joined. Coincidence?"

"I hope not… I don't know what that would even mean… look, can we stop talking about this?"

"Hmm… okay, but before we start… there is one thing I've been curious about with humans. It… may sound silly when I think about it now, but… well, most humans I've talked to have been more open than any other race I've met so far, and… I noticed something that kinda repeated itself when I talked to couples… Keelah, why did I even start this conversation? It will only end bad…"

"Alright, now I'm intrigued… what is that you have noticed?"

"Well… among Quarians, we have this tradition where the _Inszels…_the… what's the word… partners in life? Where they give each other an amulet, to keep near the heart… I noticed that most human couples have something similar… or, sort of similar."

"Oh, you mean rings on a finger?" He asked, a curious frown on his face. This was not the type of question he had expected from her.

"Well… ring? No, I didn't notice that… it was… ah, what is it called? A skin-paint?" She asked with a nervous voice. Magnus couldn't help a small smile. _Ah, I think I know where this is going… wonder if I should…_

"You mean a tattoo?"

"Ehm… yes, that's the word. Anyway, I noticed that most of the couples had something like that, with each other's names written in them…"

"Yes, that is a fairly common thing amongst humans. It is permanent and shows that our bonds are meant to be the same… although I wouldn't call it a tradition on the same scale as the Quarians giving each other the… _Pal'tec vis curdes_? Isn't that what those medallions are called?" He tried to remember just what Tali had said at that time, but it was starting to get damned hard to remember. He was certain he had gotten it all wrong. The startled sound Tara emitted didn't help either.

"The… the _Pal'tec vis surden_? How do you… who told you that name?" Tara asked, her voice filled with disbelief. So, he had gotten it somewhat right.

"Well… I spent a lot of time with Tali. As I said, she was always eager to teach us about Quarian society and culture… but, you asked about the tattoos?"

"Ehm… ehm yeah, that was… sorry, just a bit surprised, that's all… but… even though it doesn't have the same meaning, or significance as our medallions… most human couples get them, right?"

"Yes… why are you asking?" Even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer, it would be fun to watch her try and ask him, without falling over her own words. _Oh, I'm a bad man…_ He thought to himself.

"Well… did you and Jane have one? Or, one each, I guess?" And there it came, part one of an embarrassing question. So far, she was doing quite well.

"Yeah, we do… or, did, I guess… well, I still have mine, of course." He said feeling a bit of pride that the die-and-be-reborn thing hadn't erased that part of him. It also gave him a small ground for joy, knowing that he would at least never be able to forget her name.

"Well… I know this is going to end badly, but… can I… see it?" Tara asked, wringing her hands and almost jumping where she stood, rolling on her heels as she had the habit of doing when she became nervous. Magnus had a hard time suppressing a grin.

"Are you sure? It may… be a little weird." He said, forcing his hair back from his face.

"You don't want to? Sorry if I came off as intrusive or…" Tara hastily said, obviously believing that she had messe up somehow.

"Oh no, no no… you may just be a bit… surprised, is all…" He really had a hard time keeping himself from chuckling now, observing how Tara was pretty much the essence of anxiousness and social awkwardness. It amazed him actually, how quickly he had been able to regain his good mood.

"So… I can see it now?" She asked. Magnus smiled, finally letting the chuckle out;

"Well alrighty then… here you go." He said, turning his back towards her and pulling his pants down to expose a small sentence written in black just above his crack. Bending his neck to observe her, he was not disappointed. A look of sheer horror, mixed with what almost sounded like a chuckle as her translators told her what the words on his bum meant:

'**Property of Jane Shepard'**

* * *

**Well, that last one was something that came to me while discussing the story with Magnus, the real one, that is. I tried to see if I could piss him off, you know, on a friendly basis, and he said the only thing that would piss him off, would be an ass-tattoo. So, hence the tattoo. Also, because I thought it would be absolutely adorable to give him that. **

**Right right, this is where I ask you to remember to review and all the other stuff... you know, I've seen a few writers (good ones, I'll admit it) who seemed to be... more than mildly annoyed that they recieved less than fifteen or so reviews per chapter. I'm not sure how to react to that, seeing as my highest number of reviews on a chapter is eight... still, I consider it a good thing that the reviews aren't THAT plentyfull. Gives me time to answer the questions, or remark on the comments in the reviews I do get. Also, it seems that it kinda gives me a small core of reviewers. Which I guess is fine. Makes it a bit more personal, like writing to friends instead of writing to the millions of people following stories like "Warrior Ethos", or "The First War". Actually, that last one is probably one of the very best ME-fanfics I've ever read. Each chapter that guy writes manages to give me almost non-stop chills :)**

**Okay, there was one last yhing I was supposed to say... what the hell was it? Oh, right now I reember:**

**Reviews are of course appreciated, but it would be even nicer if people, even those who don't review, would spend a few moments to go take part in the poll. It's still open.**

**Alright, I think that was it. Read yaa later... or is it Write ya later? Hell I forget... just... till next time.**


	24. A betterment of standings

**Well, I do believe I am actually settling into something of a standard here, publishing on the eve of Monday, or as for some the night before Sunday... I dunno, it just makes more sense I guess.**

**Well, this will most likely be the last filler for some time, seeingas we've had a few of those lately, but as the description states, this story _is_ more oriented towards development and description, while the action-scenes are some chapters in-between.**

**I'm going to reveal as much as that we're going to start a side-mission in this chapter, one I think has been underway for quite some time.**

**Well, without further adoo-dee-doo, we're off.**

* * *

A betterment of standings

Normandy Crew quarters 11:17 (Ship-time)

Stepping out of the showers, I can still feel how my arms, or more specifically the right one, is burning like I just stuck it down into a pool of molten lava.

_How the hell did Ash talk me into that? Sure, let's do push-ups Thomas, we'll stop before you die Thomas… bollocks._

When I entered that work-out, I actually thought I could do more than her, because… well, she's a woman, Lesson to all sexists… women can be strong as hell. Seriously, I think I took it up to about thirty-five, but Ash just kept going and going and… why did I never take a look at her arms before now? They are fucking buff! I mean, not in the same style as Nic, but still way more muscled than me. Then again, I suppose that doesn't say all that much. Still, I'm in better shape now than I've ever been, meaning that I'm in better shape now than before the hospital.

Looking at the mirror while drying, I can't help but wonder at my scars. The one running down my left eye is healing up pretty well, but will probably be there for the rest of my life. The gash on my forehead is doing fine. When I asked Chakwas, she assured me that it would be gone in perhaps a few weeks. I guess I can live with that.

Rolling my shoulders, I can feel and hear the pops and cracks resulting from the exercise. I am still amazed at the fact that my left arm fully functions again, just one day after being dislocated and short-circuited. I have no idea what Emhart actually made this from, or how… and frankly, I'm almost afraid to ask. It just doesn't seem normal that one can recuperate from something like that in less than twenty-four hours.

Sighing, I finish frying, toss the towel in the dry-ribs and put on my regular uniform. It's only been a few days since I had it on the last- no wait, I actually had it on only… what was it, yesterday? Damn, I can't even remember… let's see, I had it on when I left the hospital… then I donned the gala uniform, got blown up… ended up on… oh… I had it on just yesterday actually… Damn, my mind is starting to slip.

There is this one problem though… I still can't decide how or if to tell Joker about mt past. Thinking about it, I've hardly spent any time with the guy, even though he was one of my favorite characters… for the love of- I've got to stop thinking of this like being in a game. I actually thought I had gotten rid of that habit by now. Turns out I was wrong apparently.

I mean, sure Joker is a great guy, and it isn't like he could blow my cover, since it practically doesn't exist anymore, but still, I don't want the guy freaking out.

"_Then do not tell him. Remember, that for things to progress as they are supposed to, the Normandy will be destroyed. I doubt he would actually allow that to happen if he knew about it."_

"_I know… I've thought about this before… but, it just doesn't seem… even Chakwas knows…"_

"_I advise you to refrain from telling him, if nothing else then for the sake of his mind, but it is ultimately your choice."_

"_Fine… fine, I'll wait then… and then I'll consider it again, how does that sound?"_

"_Like my wisdom is rubbing off on you."_

"_Pfftt, yeah right…"_ Wisdom? Yeah he's really been dealing out of that lately. That being said, I probably couldn't have convinced Tevos and Sparatus without his help. He's earned that much. Walking out of the quarters, I decide to check if John is in the CIC. If he doesn't have any missions planned, maybe that means I can finally get some reading done. I especially want to know just what the Hell Emhart meant with the 'Vikings'. I mean, they were North-Atlantic raiders from Scandinavia back in the eleventh century, so what did he mean by 'later on' when he mentioned them? Heading for the stairs, I hope to find John standing, either at the galaxy map, like a good captain… or is it called a commander, even onboard the ship? Hell, I don't know. Either at the map, or in the cockpit with Joker. I've noticed Nihlus seems to be spending a fair amount of time there, when he isn't trying to reeducate Garrus, that is.

When I enter the CIC, I find our good captain standing at the Galaxy map, having a talk with Pressly. I can't hear what it's about, and I'm not really that interested either, though the mentioning of something or someone called 'Saleon' makes me curious. I wonder if that is some new kind of star system, where we haven't been before, or… yeah, it's probably that. When they have finished their conversation, I wait till John notices me before approaching him. A good guy as he might be, he is still my commanding officer, so I have to exercise at least a minimum of military conduct, meaning that I can't just approach him like a friend or something like that when on duty. Finally, he notices me;

"Corporal, what can I do for you?" he says with a nod. I stand at attention. At least, I try to. It's still a little difficult, but I'm getting better at it.

"Shepard, I have been thinking… are there any missions for us in the near future?"

"No, not for the next day or so. After Tengberg mentioned the possibility of Liara's mother being on Noveria, I asked the council for advice on the matter. They have currently sent a STG-team to check out the place. If Benezia is there, we'll know about it. But for the moment, we are trying to track down a Salarian named Saleon. A maniac apparently, harvesting people's organs."

"Scheise… how did you learn about him… or her?" Man, that guy sounds sick… cutting people open like that?

"Garrus told me about him. Back when he still worked in C-Sec, Garrus attempted to track down and arrest him, but the Bosh'tet slipped away, fleeing the Citadel with a bunch of hostages. A pissin' shame they didn't just shoot him out of the sky, if you ask me." John says, crossing his arms and leaning against the CIC's frame.

"But… what about the hostages?"

"Thomas… what do you think he did with them as soon as he was safe?"

"Don't know eh… let them go?" I say, throwing out my hands in exasperation. John just shakes on the head.

"No… as far as Garrus was informed, he kept the poor bosh'tets as living test-subjects… they are probably dead long ago now, but at least we can bring the asshole to justice… if we can find him that is… but, you asked if there was anything in the near future? No, not today I think. Just be ready if we are suddenly boarded, okay?" He says the last part with a slight smile in his voice. I snap at the salute again, smiling at him. Just because I'm not really supposed to be informal with him, at least if you ask Nihlus, it doesn't mean I can't have a bit of fun with him.

"Aye commander, I'll be downstairs then."

"Alright, but one thing first… who took most push-ups, you or Williams?" Ehmm… what?

"Say again sir?"

"Just answer the question." John says, a more serious tone in his voice now.

"Well… Ashley did… beat my ass through the floor." I say, still remembering how Ash just kept going and going. Seriously, would I have been like that if I had had more time in the military before Sovereign attacked?

"Ashley? Damn, now I have to face down Garrus and give him the money… next time, do better." Wait a… John betted on me? I was part of… a game? Weird… shrugging, I turn around and head back to the crew quarters. Picking up my lap-top from the nearby table, I decide that I might as well go sit in the mess hall for this. Besides, reading alone in a quiet room? Usually that sounds like my kind of thing, but right now I'd rather sit at a proper table, with people around me. Even though Garrus is probably going to come through there as well, bragging about how he bested the commander in a bet. Like I ever actually had a chance.

The entire mess hall carries the scent of fish, smoked fish actually. Looking at the kitchen-are, I see Nicolai standing at the big desk, cramming out sandwiches at a pace that would put a machine to shame. Most of them seem to be with either tuna or lamb. Don't get me wrong, I love lamb, but the fat on it? Urgh, the most disgusting thing the Gods ever invented. He seems to be so engulfed in his work, I decide to leave him be for the moment. Other than the two of us, Jane is also in here, reading a book while nursing a cup of tea… smells a bit like cinnamon.

Having made myself a canny of Licorice tea, I carry it and a plastic mug with me to the nearest table, the one where Jane is sitting. Placing my computer on the table opposite of her, I sit down with a sigh;

"Nice speech earlier Fisher, sure you've never done that before?" She says, not taking her eyes from the book. I can't see what it is called, but it is not an English name, I can see that much: "Sál vaknað af Saga Jonsson". Okay, I officially have no fucking idea what that means, though the last part looks a bit like the Danish "by Saga Jonsson"… not a name I recognize.

"Funny, Ash asked me the same thing earlier… what are you reading?" I ask, pointing at the book while pouring the tea. Giving me a small, yet sad smile, Jane turns the book's front page to see it herself;

"It's called "Awoken Soul", by Saga Jonsson… one of my favorites." She says, pointing at each word as she translates it; "It's about a warrior woman, feeling only the heat of battle and no connection to her fellows. Until the day where she meets a heathen warrior who conquers her heart." I can't help but notice the hint of sadness in her voice. _Wonder if it has some connection to her own life…_

"What language is it in by the way? I have no idea, but it almost resembles Danish… if only a bit." Jane nods;

"Yeah, it's in Icelandic… one of the few things I did when I wasn't working my ass off back before the whole… thing on Virmire happened, was reading. This one… well, not _this one_, but this book was a gift from… from an old friend…"

Ahh, so whomever gave her that book must have meant something to her… maybe that's why she hasn't taken much notice of Garrus's obvious attempts of charming her. Really, the digital version was more impressive in that matter. Here the other day, I think one or two hours after he had seen Jane for the first time, Garrus went to ask her if they should "work out some stress" together. Mara, even I know what that means, and I'm… never mind. Let's just say she wasn't that responsive.

"Sorry, he must miss you a lot…" I say, not really knowing how to respond to this. Somewhere back in Jane's old universe, there's likely some completely emotionally messed up guy, looking in hell and heaven to find her. Poor bastard…

"I don't think so…" Jane just says, looking down her own mug.

"Why not? Were you… was it a bad break or… sorry, that isn't any of my business…" I say, mirroring her own motion and stare down my steaming mug of licorice tea. A long sigh follows, coming from Jane that surprises me a bit. Don't know why exactly;

"He's dead… was killed right in front of me… let's just leave it at that, okay?" She says, her voice more stern now. Looking at her face, her lips are a thin line, nothing more and her eyes are averting mine.

"Fuck…I'm sorry about that… but… can I ask you about something else?" I say, remembering the talk I had with Kaidan, where he told me what Torfan actually is… or was, I guess. Still, there's just something about the way Jane… is, that makes me want to forget about it, like it would be kicking someone lying down already.

"Sure… what?" She says, looking to face me again.

"I… never mind, I… forgot what it was…" I… I just can't, not right now. Later… I think. Hell, she saved my life, it's hard being pissed at someone who did that.

"Fine… what are you browsing for anyway?" She says, noticing the computer.

"Oh… just some stuff Emhart, the doctor who patched me up was mentioning… speaking of which: thanks… for getting me off Feros." I say, giving her a smile. She mirrors it, though with a small hint of sadness still left in her eyes.

"Don't mention it… besides; I'm sure Ashley would have gone down there herself if I had left you… right after she would have torn my head off my shoulders with her bare hands… believe me, I've seen her mad before… only, never like she was when… like when we met for the first time along with you." She says, a faint but sad smile formed on her lips.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine… well, as fine as one can be, living with the guilt of meeting a dead person… or, a person who was dead until recently… you following me?"

"I think so… or, Nicolai would probably, seeing as I died first, then he kinda followed… just don't ask him about it, okay? I think he might still be upset about it, just doesn't show it."

"Yeah, I'll leave him be then. Still, do you… have you ever done anything, and you don't have to give an example, but ever done anything that cost the life of someone you held dear? Something you wished you could go back and change?" She says, her radiant green eyes locking with mine, drilling through my soul.

"I… I guess… but that's what I'm trying to change, why I'm here, why I'm doing what I'm doing… even if it sometimes seems like a madman's doing…" I say, emptying my second cup of tea.

"Not at all, the madman-part I mean… so far you strike me as a good guy Fisher, even though I still have a hard time comprehending the circumstances for your presence here… or that spirit-guy… I'm glad I at least don't have him in my head…" She says, a small chuckle in her voice. I just sigh, shaking my head;

"You have no idea commander… by the way, isn't it a bit weird to still be the commander, but having to, like… obey orders from a guy such as John?"

"A little, yeah… but he seems to care about the crew at least as much as I do, and he has yet to fuck up… so, so far I think I can cope with it… being second in command is kinda what I did until Anderson resigned… guess I had my fifteen minutes in the spotlight, eh?" I just smile, pouring myself a new cup;

"By the way Jane… can I call you that?" She nods; "What do you know about the Vikings?" I ask.

"Ehm… guys with horns and big beards?" She says, a small frown on her face. _Great, even Commander Shepard thinks the Vikings had horned helmets… bodes well for the educational future of the human race…_

"Never mind, I don't think that's it anyway…" I say, turning my attention towards my computer, now fully started up and awaiting my command. _Let's see… 'Vikings, modern warriors'… open… _

_Well… I'll be… damned…_ I can't help but be a little impressed at what I'm reading here.

…

Normandy engine room 17:22 (ship time)

Okay, so whoever ever said that the Tantalus core was smaller than the one in the SR-2… needs to get his eyes checked. Seriously, this thing is fucking huge, and they all just treat it like it's the engine of a regular car, not some big, rotating monstrosity of an Eezo-drive core.

"Holy… hell…" I really all I can say, standing in the engine-room. Tali is standing nearby, talking to a male crewmember. He looks like someone with authority, and from the looks of it, he doesn't share the racism so common among the species of the galaxy these days.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" He asks, probably noticing my gawking. Turning to face him, I nod;

"Yeah it's… it's something else… Corporal Thomas Fisher, by the way." I say, remembering to introduce myself. The man extends a hand;

"Lieutenant Gregory Adams, pleased to meet you corporal. I've heard a thing or two about you from Tali here." He says, nodding his cleanly shaven head towards Tali.

"Hopefully all good?"

"Yeah don't worry, she hasn't proclaimed you a racist or anything, even said you helped save her life." I would really wish people would stop bringing that up. Each time I have to explain how it was Doctor Michelle who performed the bloody surgery, I get slightly pissed.

"Well, it was actually doctor Michelle who did most of the work, I just… held the… held the wound open…" I can still remember the, to me, unnatural color Tali's pale flesh had when we opened the suit, the sickening sight of torn and bloodied tissue, the ugly smell emitting from the radioactive round… memories, bad ones.

"Nevertheless, you seem to have made quite a name for yourself on this ship… nice speech by the way."

"Thanks, but I really don't think it was all that good… I'm no Shepard, speeches aren't really my thing." I say, scratching my neck.

"Don't kid yourself, it was good. I liked the last part in particular, the one about laying off on the booze. Cracked me up real good, that one." He says with a smile. Behind him, I suddenly notice Tali approaching us. Something in the way she walks seems a bit nervous. Turning to follow my gaze, Adams notices her as well;

"Tali, something you need?" He says with a kind voice, almost…fatherly? Nah, that would be a bit silly, seeing as… well, we've only been at this for a couple of months.

"Well… Sir can I borrow Fisher here for a moment?" She says, nearly stumbling over half the words. _Is she okay?_

"I… sure, go take a break, just don't take too long. It's hard enough managing this place without you." He says, turning to walk back to his station. Looking back at her, I can't help but feel like there is something wrong with her… or maybe there is something wrong with what she will do or say? She gestures for me to follow her out into the short hallway or corridor that spans between the cargo hold and the engine-room.

"Alright Tali… what's wrong?" I ask, leaning against the hull.

"Fi- Thomas, do you remember the back-alley, where we were ambushed?" She says. I instantly feel the gnawing pit in my stomach grow, knowing that I am still not off the hook in this case;

"Aww… Shit… Tali listen, I… I didn't know what to do at the time, I… I guess I just thought that it could be a sound idea to… to let things proceed as they did in… as I knew them." I can't help but rub the bridge of my nose in a combination of regret and embarrassment. Doing something like that, to almost lead Tali to her death… it's not something you just let slide.

"I know. Listen, I've been thinking about it… maybe too much, I don't know. I just… I have tried it as well, you know, being scared and not knowing what to do… I lost my friend, Jan'Karla nar Rayya… he was… he stayed behind to give me time to escape… it was only a few days before I stumbled into the clinic, bumping into you. At least you didn't have to experience that."

"I'm sorry about that… John never mentioned him."

"No, we…met each other sometime after I left on my pilgrimage, on Tylus… I was with a group; we were actually being escorted by a group of Salarians, probably STG. They were investigating why geth had ventured beyond the veil. I guess they were curious as well. After some time, we came upon a group of geth, a patrol I think. When we jumped them, or when the Salarians jumped them, I managed to extract the data from one of them."

"The last part I know already… but… damn… I… I don't know what to say."

"Then don't. Listen, what I meant to say, mean to say… if you think I am mad at you or something, for not telling me, or for letting me walk to that meeting, then I guess it's about time you stop. I'm not mad at you or anything. Yes, there was a time where I was confused, distraught and… well, a bit pissed at you, but that was even before Feros. So… friends?"

"Friends." I say, not able to contain the smile that's spreading across my lips. Thank Arkay really. I was afraid that the most adorable person on the Normandy would hate my guts for the rest of our mission. Well, adorable in the sister-like way. Ash is still way… better, I guess.

Cargo hold 17:59 (ship time)

"Hey Garrus."

"Thomas? You never come down here… though I suspect I'm not the reason for it. It wouldn't be because of Ash working down here, now would it?" He says, flashing the Turian version of a grin.

"Actually, I did come down here to talk to you."

"Oh?" He says, replacing the grin with a talon on his mandible, looking at me in a pondering stance;

"This guy… Saleon, we're going after… what kind of guy is he? John told me that he did some organ-harvesting, but… that can't be all that uncommon. What made him stand out?"

"If you really want to know, then I hope you have a strong kidney for those kinds of things… or is it stomach?" Garrus asks, scratching his… chin. Yeah, I guess I'd call it his chin, although Turians don't really have that.

"Well… Saleon… back in my C-Sec days, I was on this case with bodies being emptied of organs, and I mean _emptied_… not even the intestines or the balls, when it concerned males. It was mostly humans, but turians and Salarians also felt the knife… so to speak. After some time, when the morgues had been secured by regular soldiers and military C-Sec personnel, the maniac started abducting citizens from the streets. After some time, when the recorded 'kill-count' had amounted to about 92, we got a lead. Or, I got a lead. We had a turian brought in, didn't remember a thing from the last five days he said. We took a scan to see if he had been one of the people abducted… but spirits, it was worse than that. This asshole, not the Turian, but the maniac… he didn't just harvest organs from people, he _sow_ new ones inside them. This turian was walking around with five hearts and three kidneys… Turians don't have more than two kidneys and two hearts. This guy was a walking, breathing test-tube. It was like he was a farm… just in turian shape. The next day, I went to find Saleon, searched all over the wards, in every single little clinic, almost lost my badge more than once when I kicked a few doors in, interviewed people… but it paid off in the end."

"But… I thought he got away?" I'm not sure I follow now. But John did say something about hostages… that would explain some things.

"He did… he had hostages, so I wasn't allowed to go in. In the end he got away on a shuttle, free to leave as no one dared shooting him down." Garrus says, an angry scowl forming on his face.

"But… what would you have done then, killed the hostages?" I can't believe Garrus would do that. It just doesn't seem like him. Or… maybe it does, and I just haven't been paying attention.

"They were dead anyway… the least we could have done was to end their misery." He states, almost sounding like my old drill sergeant in home defense. And that's not a good thing.

"Mara… Garrus, isn't that a bit… cold?"

"Perhaps… listen Thomas. I don't know how that game of yours painted our galaxy, but it's a cold and dark place. There's no such thing as a happy ending after each adventure. Criminals often get away because the law is too soft or corruptible, the officers not willing to make the hard choices, and the lawyers too corrupt and non-caring to see the worst cases through. Someone's got to make the hard decisions at some point, and I'll be damned if it falls to me and I let it slip."

"Right, right… sorry, just… I'm not used to hear people discuss killing that… casually."

"I know, but sooner or later, reality will come bite your ass when some maniac with a gun is standing in front of you with his gun against an innocent's temple. For what it's worth though, I admire your… idealism." He says, turning back to make his repairs on the Mako. The gun-turret looks a bit different than the last time I saw it, though I can't really put my finger on the difference. Nodding to the Turian, I head for the last part of the ship I haven't been in yet: The weapons-section. It's basically a two-part section, one being a large shack-like room containing just about every kind of gun I've ever seen… and then some. I'm serious, this place looks like Santa's workshop after a renovation passed through. There are even tons of different spare parts, raw materials and wires… to put it in a shorter way: I could build a full-sized and functional robot-krogan with these things, and the parts would hardly be missed. Besides the shack, there is also a weapons bench of sorts, like the ones Jacob was always rummaging on in Mass Effect two. And, standing next to Wrex, obviously engaged in a conversation, Ash is fiddling with something on the bench, probably preparing her rifle or something like that. I should probably do the same, seeing as my rifle and pistol has been through two major encounters, and one colonial escape.

"…way he would be able to use that Williams… oh, better hide it, here he comes…" I can just pick up the last of Wrex's sentence, and now… well, I'm pretty damn curious.

"Shit… help me cover…" Ash says, tossing blankets and scrap onto whatever she was working on._ Okay… so I guess it isn't her rifle…_

"Hey Wrex" I say, nodding to the lumbering beast of a krogan; "And hey to you Ash. What are you doing there?" I say, walking up to her and trying to sneak a peek around her shoulder. She quickly pushes me away, but I'm pretty sure I saw something glinting. Metal, I think;

"Tho- Thomas, go away, okay? You can't see what I'm… I mean, it's just a boring retrofit…. You know, gun-cleaning?" Okay… I've never ever heard her fumble with words before, well except for when she was drunk, but she is sober as day right now, so it must be due to nervousness.

"Can I join you? I think I need to have my guns checked anyway." I can't help a smirk as her frustration becomes even more apparent;

"Okay… but I… think I saw your rifle over there somewhere…" She says, pointing to the opposite end of the room. _She wants me gone long enough to hide it? Oh, if only I weren't this damn curious!_

"Then I will just go retrieve it." I say, full well knowing it is actually in my weapons locker. And, conveniently, that locker is less than two meters to Ash's left. But I'll play by her rules. I once had my Christmas-present found by my mom, and it just didn't have the same… feeling when she unpacked it two months later. So, I walk to the far end, obviously not finding anything;

"Oh Ash, I don't think it's over here." I call. Damn, this is just too funny.

"Never mind, I found it in your locker!" She calls back, waving the red Lancer-II in the air. Sighing, I shake my head and return to grab it;

"Somehow, I have a faint suspicion that you knew where it was all along Ash." I say, taking the gun. My pistol is in the locker as well, just as my armored boots and one of the gauntlets. I guess that was about all that could be salvaged from Feros. I can't help but look at it for some time, just wondering how the hell come no more than this survived the blast. Ash seems to notice my stare;

"Don't worry, we managed to salvage most of it, Mark is going over it now, has been for the last few weeks actually."

"Mark?"

"Oh, right. He's our requisitions-officer, as well as helping out Strossberg in the armory. They have been working their asses off restoring your armor. I even heard they were trying to compensate for some of the weaknesses in it."

"Oh… that's great. I'll remember to drop by thanking them after this." I say, walking over to the bench next to Ash and placing my hand-gun on it. As much as I hate to admit it, the _wimpy_ Raikou-pistol has actually saved my ass more times than the Lancer has. I wonder if it is because it takes longer to overheat, or just because it's a bit handier in closer quarters.

_Hmmm… okay, let's see if I can remember 'disassembling weapons'… shouldn't be too difficult…_ I ponder over how to get this thing separated, as there are no visual parts where it comes apart.

"Ehm… Ash, how do I take this thing apart?" In the end I give up, turning to her for help. _Jesus, back in first grade huh?_

"Right… you see this small handle?" Ash says, showing me a small back-notch on the gun. I nod, and she flips it upwards, causing the barrel to come lose. Having removed that, she moves on to pressing down on a small tab underneath the handle. And just like that, the firing mechanism comes lose, and she removes that one as well. I'm about to thank her for doing it for me when she quick as lightning re-assembles the entire thing. Handing it back to me, she smiles;

"Your turn" I can't help an inwardly groan. Wrex just chuckles to the side, being content with cleaning the barrels in his double-barreled shotgun.

…

Normandy meeting room 19:21 (ship time)

Having received the final schematics from Ash, and after having being berated on how much I suck at cleaning and assembling my guns by Wrex, I headed up here to the meeting room. Fumbling a bit with the new Omni-tool, I can't help but wonder how come this one is so much more advanced than my first one, yet easier to handle. _Well, here's the different stuff I've yet to show Anna… just wish I had the engines for the hyper-drives… and where the hell IS Kasumi?_ Shaking the last though off, I turn to face the console for the QEC-vid. Now comes the tough part: how the hell to turn this on. _Okay… I may need a bit of help here, there are no buttons to press!_ Sighing, I exit the room again, heading for the cockpit. I'm pretty sure Joker must know how to turn the damn thing on.

"Hey Joker, do you know how to open communications with the Citadel from that meeting room? I can't figure out how to turn it on." I say as the pilot turn in his seat.

"Oh that's a tough one. I think the commander is the only one allowed to use it though. Is too important for you to just send an email?" He says.

"Well… not really. I guess I can just send the files over the extra-net. Thanks." I say, giving him a smile while I turn to walk away. When I've reached the end of the corridor from the cockpit, he calls after me;

"Oh yeah by the way, did you know that that room has always been equipped with cameras and mikes? I can't help but wonder what would happen if a big important revelation took place in there, and no one bothered switching off surveillance." He says it with a grin, but that doesn't help the lump of ice that instantly smashes my innards. Slowly turning to face him, I can see him sitting there, looking at me with a wry smirk on his face. _Holy… fuck… he knows?_

"_For some reason, I am not really surprised…"_

"Cat got your tongue eh? Can't mister Boom voice speak for you?" That grin on his face… it's almost unnerving.

"How… long have you… did you listen in on the meeting?" I say, not really capable of forming more intelligent sentences.

"Yeah well… my job would be a little boring if I only flew the ship. Don't get me wrong, I can sorta understand why I wasn't informed at the meeting, but afterwards? It would have been nice to be found trustworthy, you know?"

"I… that… I guess… crap, sorry Joker, I just… I was afraid you might freak out and hurt yourself or something…" I can't really come up with anything better. The truth is, that I didn't want him to know since he is one of those who took losing the Normandy the hardest, flight being his life and all.

"Well, any other secrets I've yet to be let in on, now that we're at it?" He says, leaning back in the chair.

"Nope… that's about it." I lie, not wanting to tell him about Alchera, and what happens there.

"Alright… then I guess I will just return to work, you know, praying that that ghost-guy isn't going to haunt the ship or something."

"_I can't haunt a ship. At the most I can take over a machine, but the ship? Even if I wanted to, which I don't, I doubt I would be very good at interfacing and interacting with the systems."_

"_Great… but I'm not going to tell him that. He seems to be okay… well, 'Joker-okay' and that would just… I don't know, can we just get out of here?"_

"_It's your body, you move it."_ Right… good point. Turning around again I head back downstairs to the mess hall where I left the laptop. Garrus has replaced Jane, munching on what I guess is a Dextro-amino sandwich. Either that or he's got a death wish. Feeling a bit hungry myself, I grab one from the plate positioned in the kitchen. _Lamb? Great, let's hope he removed the fat. _Carrying my provisions, I sit down and open the laptop.

_Alright… where is the email… there… now… wait, what the hell is Anna's address by the way?_ That's a hurdle. I've got no idea what her email is… _Wonder if one can simply search for it? Hmm… ADMIRAL ANNA FISHER… five results? Hmm… nope, she's on Earth… nope, dead… nope… ah, there we go. _Turns out that Anna is quite a popular name, and I just can't remember that other name she has as well. _Okay… here goes._ I start punching out the letter.

_Hey Anna, it's me Thomas. Look, it was bit of difficult to find your address here, since you never really gave it to me, but I've some good news, and some bad news. The good news first I guess. I've decided to send the rest of the schematics and weapons at once, since I haven't been able to get into contact with my supplier. Anyway, here are the schematics, including those for a hyper-modern gun-ship capable of combat roles in space- and ship to ship battles, as well as acting as a boarding craft and support in boarding missions. The LA/AT gunship is also equipped with plasma and ion-weapons I think, so try and get techs to reverse-engineer it or whatever it is that you people do with new tech. Also, the Marlow, that's the big ship I'm sending, could be used as well. I think. It doesn't possess any kinetic barriers like the Cheyenne-gunship, and not as many weapons as a regular dreadnaught, but it is at least twice the size and capable of FTL, so try and get something from it, okay? _

_The rest of these are regular weapons and vehicles, I think, but they will probably be helpful in ground-battles. Try passing the sentry gun on to either Hackett or Sparatus, yes the councilor. Just ignore the fact that he is an ass, and help him organize any plans he might have, it's really important, okay? _

_As for me, I'm well… well, as well as one can be on a warship ;)_

_I am not sure how you guessed it was Ash, but how do you like her so far? It may sound a bit weird, but being my only living relative, your opinion of her matters to me. Please don't tell me you don't like her. That would really suck _

_We're on our way to apprehend some maniacal villain who specializes in harvesting people's organs, and now the Turian on our team, Garrus (heard of him?) wants to finish what he started some years ago and kill the bastard. _

_Phew, that was a long mail, but I felt like I needed to get it all out. How are you by the way?_

_Thomas._

Well, that was a pretty long message, now to send... What the- eighty credits to send a message? Who the fuck demands money for something like that? _I hate the future sometimes…_

…

September 29th

Illium

Dry-dock D-47

19.25 (Illium Standard time. Eastern time zone. Nos Astra)

"Tara, can you hand me that welder? No, the 'X5' one. I need… yeah, that one, thanks." Magnus had been hard at work for the past four days, evaluating what parts of the ship needed the repairs the most, what they could recycle, what could be moved and what had to be scrapped. Fortunately, the last part had been relatively rare in occurrence; only the transparent materials in the cockpit had needed replacing so far, being the most vital part of the ships integrity. The rest of the hull had only suffered from superficial damage, meaning it was still airtight, but would probably be torn to pieces during re-entry in atmosphere. When Tara had offered to help him weld a particular piece of the hull, under the belly of the ship, he had gotten a strange feeling when he caught her looking at him from what she might have thought was out of sight. It was like back when he woke up first, like it was the eyes of a predator. It made him uneasy, but not frightened. It was like something was going on, something he didn't have control over. And he hated it when he didn't have control. Currently, he was kneeling under the belly of the _Ashanti_, busy welding the different holes and scraps the ship had sustained. It already looked like someone had done that a long time ago, but the weldings looked poorly done and as if in a hurry. It was also covered with rust in different places, and Tara had had to give the entire underside a load of Gear-Spray, a special concoction meant to reverse the effect of oxidation in steel and iron. The work was one of the most trivial Magnus had done in a long time, as well as one of the harder. When he was underneath the ship, the warmth created by the torch couldn't go up, so instead it went to the sides, heating up the space where he was enough so that he had been forced to discard his coat and instead work in his undershirt. What he might have suspected, but couldn't know, was that this was exactly why Tara had asked him to work on the belly.

"Thanks" He said as the wrench slid over the floor to where he was sitting. Exhaling, he straightened his back and sat up straighter, only to bump his head into the hull of the multi-tons freighter, causing him to swear and curse with words that could have made a geth blush and a krogan look away in shame.

"God fucking Dammit… I'm going to have on hell of a headache later… scratch that, it's already here…" He mumbled, rubbing his head.

"Magnus, should I be happy or disappointed that most of those words didn't translate?" Tara called with a joking voice. Magnus exhaled and felt a small smile force its way to his face. His existence had improved drastically ever since meeting Tara, and she had become a good friend, even despite the occasional weird stare she sent him. He couldn't quite make out just what they meant, but he couldn't help feel a small shiver down his spine when he caught her stare. He hated not knowing what was going on.

"Happy probably." He called back, his voice echoing back and forth under the ship.

"By the way, I've got a question, if you don't mind." She called back, putting down her own welder to hang upside-down from her place on the hull. He couldn't help a smile when she did that. It was a part of her that reminded him of the recklessness he had seen in Jane, the "I don't care what other people think about me" kind of being. Though, thinking back on it, he couldn't quite remember if Jane had ever done that. Hanging topside-down that was.

"Arhh…. Well, shoot." He said, still rubbing his head. Having long hair didn't really act like a helmet after all.

"Why did Jane write that you belonged to her, on your… well, your… your… behind?" Tara said, obviously not sure on how to ask the question without saying something vulgar.

"Ah, that… Well, I guess you could say it was her way of telling other women to stay away from her price, as weird as that may sound. It was just how she was. Hell, I left my own mark on her, as far as I remember. Just… not on the ass." He said, reminiscing about that time when he had done the tattoo job on her. It had to be him who did it. It was a bit too private to allow a professional tattoo-maker to do it. Jane had told him to ignore it if she suddenly punched or kicked him while he worked, as it would probably just be nerves or something automatically. After that night though, it had been a few days before he had gotten anything again. Not that he blamed her. It was painful enough on the ass, so it must have been even worse where he did it.

"So… she didn't trust you to remain with her? Or… am I misunderstanding something here?" Tara asked, swinging down to sit on the floor instead of hanging with her head down.

"Kind of, although it wasn't because she didn't trust me. You see, among humans, I was apparently pretty damn attractive to the women, even a few Asari." _Hell, I had to practically turn Liara down directly… damn girl couldn't take a hint…_

"Oh… I didn't notice that… I mean, you… I… never mind, let's just get back to work, okay?" She said, almost dropping her tools as she hurried back to her spot on the hull. Magnus just shook his head and sighed before getting back to work. It was getting late.

…

September 30th

Illium

Dry-dock D-47

13.25 (Illium Standard time. Eastern time zone. Nos Astra)

"Alright… I think I've come up with a solution to our non-gun trouble." Magnus said, pulling up a data-file from his Omni-tool. Tara jumped from her seat at a twisted plate on the hull to see what he had on screen.

"I'm listening, what did you find?"

"Well, I worked with a Turian once, not the one on the Normandy, but while I was on a mission with Jane. He had this motto, I can't remember the exact words, but it was something along the lines of: 'If it's shaped like a gun, I can make it fire like one as well.' And… well, I remember something he showed me once. See, what we lack are the guns themselves, no? We can make the controls on our own am I right?"

"Yes… and?"

"Well, what he did was taking a pair of missile launchers, you know, the kind that tracks single targets, and mounted them on the hull, complete with firing-control and everything. Now, as it is, a missile launcher, the cheap ones, come at about 1900 credits a piece, which means we can afford one. As I see it, we have the materials to make the turret, or at least some kind of platform for the launcher. And if not, I can probably ask Atheyta if she has any customers used to that type of work. Then we make the platform and mount the launcher on it, and boom, we've got a means of defense for this thing." He said, patting the ship. Tara just looked at him.

"Are… are you sure that would even work? And if we spend the last money we have on that, what are we going to eat? I've only got so much Levo-amino food left." She said with a worried mine.

"Don't worry about me, I've gone without food for some days before, I can handle it. Just let me know if your own food starts running out though… I don't know how long Quarians can go without food." He said with a slightly less worried mine than her; "Besides, we'll still have a hundred or so credits left… should be enough to last us through the next five weeks, if we even need that long."

"I guess… and I know a few places where they have soup kitchens. It's free if you wash your own utensils, and bring your own plate."

"See? There's nothing to worry about then. Now, go grab yourself a tube, I'll keep working here. I think I'm almost done with that damage under the belly. I don't know what idiot welded that place the last time, but he could just as well have rigged it with C6, it would be torn apart after a few re-entries." He said while stretching his back.

"Are you sure you don't need my help for the next few minutes?"

"Nah, I think I'm good. If anything, see if you can find some news and figure out how the Normandy fares, how long they have gotten." That was another thing he liked about Tara: She plainly accepted his words when he spoke the truth, even if those words were weird or uncomfortable. She also didn't seem to have any trouble handling his past, or his story.

"Sure… I'll be back soon." She said, running off to the small apartment they lived in. No, that was wrong, he thought. _She_ lived there, and allowed him to stay there. Thinking about it, the facial scar had actually been a small price to pay for all of this. Even though he lost a finger while at it. Remembering that evening, he casually held up his left hand and looked at where his ring finger used to be. Instead there was a short stump;

"Dios… well, back to work I guess… now where the hell did I put that welder?"

…

"Welcome to Illium news net, my name is Natria'delsar." The Asari newswoman said, looking into the screen; "Recent news from the colony of Zhu's hope reports evidence of ExoGeni having purposely had the colonists infected with spores from a plant, allegedly capable of controlling intelligent life-forms like puppets. Alliance representative Donnel Udina is with us on a QEC-channel directly from the Citadel. Ambassador, what is your view on this?"

"It is a deeply disturbing find that a well respected company such as ExoGeni has been dabbling in these sorts of activities. To be honest, I find it downright disgusting what they have done… using humans as puppets and lab-rats… I have already issued a full stop to all alliance funding to ExoGeni, as well as spoken for boycotting their services and goods. These people need to learn that no good will come from this kind of disrespect for life, no matter the race. That it is their own just makes it even more detestable, seeing as humanity was supposed to have moved past that stage at least four hundred years ago. To find it still in existence… believe me, the only reason I haven't had the navy called down to simply destroy these vermin is that I do not have the authority to do so." The human named Udina seemed to be in something between a fit of rage, and something akin to enjoying being given screen-time.

"Ambassador, you speak of an earlier stage in human development. Am I right to believe that this stage is when it was commonplace for humans to have slaves?"

"You are correct Miss Delsar. I, as well as hopefully most humans, believe that one living being cannot hold another against its will, unless a court has deemed it so that the person in question is due for prison. Slavery cannot be accepted, and neither can exploiting other living beings. These people are no better than Batarian slavers in my eyes." Something in what he said caused Tara to consider if he was also talking about the 'indentured servants' so common on Illium.

"Ah, I suspect that last one will earn you some negative mail, but nonetheless, what about the Normandy? The ship that supposedly hold the honor of liberating the colony?"

"Ah yes, now there is a more positive topic. I suspect you are well aware of the fact that it is a human-turian frigate, currently captained by the Quarian John'Shepard?"

"Yes, that has… been a topic for discussion lately, but what can you tell us of the ship, the crew and how they liberated the colony?"

"Disappointingly little I'm afraid. You see, a good bit of the ship's activity is secured with high-level clearance. Even I do not have the clearance to the top-level info from the ship's missions. What I can tell you is that the crew responded to a distress-call from now deceased Fai Dan, the former administrator of Zhu's hope who was killed during the firefights. From what we know, the colony was overrun by the geth, and the Normandy arrived just in the nick of time to save the survivors who had huddled up in the very top levels of the structure Zhu's hope is placed within. After having beaten back waves of geth forces, the Normandy ground teams were capable of going into the deeper bowels of the colony and destroy the plant that had apparently turned the colonists into thralls."

"Sounds like one hell of a fight, if you will excuse my language. Now, were there any allied casualties?"

"Aside from a few colonists who were killed by geth? No, although two of the ground team, the Turian Spectre Nihlus Kryik, and Private Thomas Fisher were… injured in the fight against the geth. Kryik has left Huerta Memorial hospital's physiological wing a few days ago, apparently suffering from a mild case of PTSD. The other, Private Fisher… he fared a bit worse. It has not yet been cleared to me just what happened to him, but apparently he broke several ribs, shattered the left arm and leg, as well as receiving lots of major burns. I can only speculate as to what happened, but obviously, it has left him with some… difficulties."

"Goddess, poor guy. Will he make a full recovery?" The Asari asked, actually gaining a sincere look of worry on her face. Tara couldn't help a small snort. _Had it been John'Shepard who had been injured, that woman would just have said 'oh, sorry about that… they are all like that… damned Asari…'_ Munching down the last bites of her paste, she decided to get the final bits of the interview as well. Shepard might make an appearance. Tara was standing just outside a bar, watching the news.

"He will be just fine. As a matter of fact, I do believe he is to be released from the hospital as well, either today or one of the following. I am actually going to preside at a ceremony in his honor the day he is let out. He was awarded the Purple Heart, a medal given for sacrifice on the battlefield. And, if I am not all wrong, I do believe there is a promotion in the air as well, but please don't tell him that. I believe my colleague Anderson wants to keep that a secret." The human said with a smile. He had been joking, obviously, about the last part. He had been talking on system-wide TV, so of course it was no secret at all. Sometimes Tara didn't understand human behavior at all.

"Well, I'm sure we will all keep quiet about that one ambassador. And with that I do in fact believe that the interview is over. Thank you for joining us Mister Udina." She said to the holographic representation of the human ambassador on the Citadel.

"Oh the pleasure was all mine Miss. Now, if you will excuse me, I am needed elsewhere." He said, ending the transmission. Sighing, Tara started walking back towards the garage. _So, no Shepard this time…maybe tomorrow._

…

October 1th

Illium

Dry-dock D-47

15.01 (Illium Standard time. Eastern time zone. Nos Astra)

"Alright, a little lower, yes, a little… careful!" Magnus almost shouted as the transporters placed the crate on the floor. The last thing he needed was for some idiot to damage the cargo. Having found what he was looking for on the extranet, mainly a pair of used heat-seeking missile-launchers to the price of fifteen-hundred credits, meaning there would actually be enough money left to get whatever necessary for the ship or themselves to be ready. Magnus had a few ideas, but refrained from giving them bigger consideration until the weapons were mounted. '_This is going to be a pain installing… cheap crap better be worth it'_ he thought, unpacking the crate. Before him, nestled in a mixture of small white foam-thingies and plastic encasements, lay a pair of ML-77 missile launchers, both showing signs of earlier use, but aside from a few dents here and there, they did not appear any worse for wear. Taking a small step back, he pulled one of the launchers from the crate, feeling the weight and testing the general condition of the weapon.

"Hmmm…. Yes, this will do I think… how much ammunition comes with this?" He asked one of the men assigned to transport the crate. The person in mention pulled up a manifest to find that particular bit of data.

"About thirty-six missiles in total. We could not press them for more." He said, turning off the datapad.

"That's fine. Tell Atheyta thanks for me, and then I do believe there was the matter of payment?"

"Yes, I believe this will all amount to fifteen-hundred credits in total. I do not know why the old lady agreed to sell these for so little, but hell if it's my place to ask. By the way… you aren't thinking of… blowing something up with these, are you?"

"Not if we can avoid it. It's merely for safety's sake." Magnus said as he ran the chit over the man's Omni-tool, being rewarded with a small _bib_.

"Pleasure doing business with you sir, and you as well miss." The man said, nodding towards Tara who had stayed mostly in the background, not wanting to ruin the meeting if the man had turned out to be hostile towards Quarians.

Turning from the Elkoss combine owned shuttle as it lifted off, Magnus put the launcher back into its crate, sealing it again.

"Well, now that we have the weapons secured… how handy are you with remotely controlled point-and-shoot turrets Tara?"

"Well… I can probably make it work, just haven't done it before… you?" Tara said, giving the crate an extra look.

"Nah, I'm not much good with that kind of electronics… just leave the welding to me, if you can manage something with those launchers." Magnus said, picking the welder back up from the ground. Giving Tara a small smile, he picked up a large plate of steel and set off to start working on a place near the bridge where he had seen a large rift in the plating. He would have to first remove the entire damaged part of the plating before he could get to repairing it. Fixing a space-ship couldn't be done with the old 'slap some duct-tape on' method. If done wrong, they would most likely end their days in a fireball, hurtling towards the ground. Not really how Magnus wanted to go, but then again, he had already tried dying once these past two months, and he knew from experience tha no white light awaited the victim, no booms from the horns of the long halls would welcome him, no seat would be reserved for him. Sometimes he wondered if Jane had actually been the one who had gotten the religious bullshit right, not him. He headed towards the gap in the plating, no larger than he could squeeze a finger inside, but lethal nonetheless. For a short while as he stood there, he simply considered filling the gap with molten steel and allow for it to harden. But that would only work for a short while, and then he would have to redo the whole thing. Not really what he wanted to be doing if shit started falling apart while out of atmosphere. If he had been watching tabloid news at the time, the man would probably have had a good laugh from seeing another Scandinavian carry a dead-drunk Gunnery Chief Williams away from a mildly pissed journalist, as well as wonder who this new guy was, and why the name would have seemed so familiar. Then, he would probably have scoffed at the report of a dig team from Therum, whose ship had somehow crashed onto the southern pole of Noveria.

…

October 2th

Illium

Dry-dock D-47

18.06 (Illium Standard time. Eastern time zone. Nos Astra)

"How's the turret coming?" Magnus called from where he sat on the hull, taking the welder away from the searing hot piece of metal he had been busy fitting into the square-sized hole he had made in the damaged plating. It never ceased to annoy him how even the most standard-quality Alliance shuttles were made from the high-quality Graphene-enforced steel-alloys, while he and Tara had to make do with regular steel and even iron. The latter especially annoyed him when he was trying to remove parts of the hull that had suffered the worst, only to have parts of it fall off due to rust. With each repair he made, it became all the more apparent that Tara must have been cheated when buying this piece of crap. He would never have given more than twenty grand's for this thing, but people did have a nasty habit of cheating Quarians.

"I'm a Quarian, not a damned drone; it's only been one day. Give me some time, will you?" Tara shot back. The work on the turret had apparently proven more difficult than first anticipated.

"I thought your people were some of the best engineers in this rotten galaxy?" He said while cursing as the plate kept sliding from his grasp, making the welding that much harder.

"I'm a tech specialist, not a gun-builder, Keelah, you humans think all Quarians can build a spaceship from scrap, don't you?" She said, becoming a bit annoyed as the engine moving the holding beams refused to move faster than a slow and noise turning.

"Yeah well, you Quarians think all races are racists." He shot back with a grin.

"Well they mostly are!" Tara snorted in retort.

"That's racist, Tara, you know that?" He laughed, satisfied with having trapped her.

"Well… I… bosh'ted, just get back to work!" Tara responded, knowing full well who had won the argument.

"Yes ma'am!" He called back with a wide grin, one that turned into an annoyed frown as the plate slid down for the seventh time. _'Gods help me, I'm going to light this thing on fire if it doesn't stop going out of place real soon'_

…

Elsewhere

"Sir?"

"Yes, come in Miranda. I have a… job, for you." Harper said, puffing on his cigarette.

"I'm ready, what is it?" Miranda replied with a thin smile. If there was one thing she was good at, it was being professional about almost everything in her life and being.

"There seem to have been some… confusion in a report from our informant aboard the Normandy. I have received reports that there is more than one commander aboard the Normandy. Now, I don't think my source would lie to me, but in this case it does require a bit of… afterthought, so to speak. If there has indeed been appointed a second commander of the Normandy, I want files, face, DNA-samples, names and everything from his or her birth to now. We can't afford any kind of liabilities while Saren is still on the loose." His words left the Australian woman a bit perplexed;

"You want me to infiltrate the Normandy sir?" Miranda may have been good at her job, but some things were best left to people trained in the art of stealth, not biotic super-humans.

"In a sense. You will be provided with a small chip which I want you to insert into the Normandy's systems, download everything there is about this new unknown, as well as… did you by any chance watch the news last night Miranda?" Hiss question caught the woman off guard again. It was a gift he had, or so he liked to think.

"N-no sir, I was busy." Miranda said, her face not betraying the turmoil raging inside her. The Illusive Man gave Miranda a quick look, confirming what he already suspected.

"Well, I'm sure Mister Taylor did then." He said with a smug smile. The name caused Miranda's eyes to quickly dart around, as if looking for some hidden assailant. Her boss simply inhaled another breath or air combined with the smoke from his two-hundred credit cigarette.

"I… wouldn't know about that sir. Was there anything interesting in them?"

"You could say that. Apparently the crew on the Normandy has recently been bolstered by genetically modified soldiers, calling themselves 'clones'. As you may know, only one other person has succeeded in creating clones of human beings, yet these seem different."

"I'm guessing you want files on them as well?"

"Spot on as always Miranda. Now, you can go about the mission as you see fit, but I would like an update within the month."

"Yes sir." The woman said, leaving the room. Having been left alone, he brought up the part of the interview that had amused him the most, showing a man with Maori-like features plant his right fist in the face of the Arabian Journalist Al-Jilani. Chuckling, he brought the interview into play, smiling as the woman hit the floor.

He had never really liked that woman.

* * *

Codex entry on Subject 'Vikings, modern fighters'

Dating back to the late Afghani war, the Vikings started out as an out-branching of the "Jaegers", the elite of the Danish military in the middle of 2014. The Vikings were mainly recruited from the ranks of soldiers meeting standards viewed by some as unrealistic, one requirement being capable of performing gliding into hot-zones, completing regular courses in one third of standard time, no more was allowed. Other than this, Vikings were expected to be able to outlast the world-famous American Navy Seals in both endurance, efficiency and provess. After years of failures, a small group eventually made it through the net, being recognised as the very first fighting force bearing the call-sign "Viking" since the end of the Viking-age, around 1280 A.C

The emblem of Task-force 'Viking' was an axe and a rifle crossed over each other in the shape of an X.

As part of their equipment, the Vikings sported the tradtional knives used by most armed personnel, as well as a hip-mounted hand-axe.

The group consisted of seven members, all whose names have since been kept secret due to safety concerns. Instead of referring to each other's names, they each had callsigns of own choice. The following callsigns have been verified as being in active service until the dissolvement of said group due to post-Shanxi events;

"Hangman" Squad leader of unit Viking-001

"Blue-tooth" Team sniper and support specialist.

"Atter Dag" Breacher and close-quarters expert. Direct translation of callsign is "Another day" For refference, see 'Danish Kings, Valdemar Atterdag'

"Mjolnir" Team Heavy weapons specialist. Recieved the 'Medal of Valor' two times.

"Valkyrie" Team Medic and HMMWV-driver. Notable: only woman on team.

"Bug" team slicer and hacker.

"Odin" Team spotter and UAV-operator

The Vikings were pushed into service as a new unit on October fifth, 2014, when the Taliban moved back into the Afghani capital of Kabul. Having cut off the railroads and planted minefields around the city prior to the attack, the Taliban had effectively isolated the NA-defenders inside the city. As there was no way the ISAf-forces could reach the city by conventinal means, the Vikings were given their baptism of fire by being glide-dropped into the city from five miles away. It is presumed that they were not fire upon because the enemy either thought them to be birds of prey, or simply didn't believed their own eyes.

When the Vikings had landed, quick work was made of the LZ, allowing the arrival of reenforcements seven hours later. Having destroyed the AA-guns in the outskirts of the city, the Vikings moved house to house, killing the Talibans with notably only one civilian casualty. When they linked up with the remaining NA-forces near the center of Kabul, the Vikings utilized their skills born from years of hard training, and carried out continued raids on enemy positions, killing an estimated one-hundred and twenty-six hostiles without losing a single man.

The city was liberated the next day when the rest of the Afghani National Army arrived via helicopters and secured the rest of the city.

Involvement in liberation of Shanxi

#DATA NOT AVAILABLE. CODE 54913#

Dissolvement of the Vikings.

Not much is known as to the reasons for the dissolvent of the Vikings, though it is widely accepted that the group, as per 2157-2158 consisting of no more than two-hundred and six members, had difficulties seeing the purpose of sparing alien lives, and in the years following human integration into the galatic society went more and more out of line, conduction actions that reflected poorly on the overall image of humanity as a reasonable race. Exact actions are to this day not cleared for public eyes. As per 2162, Alliance Diretor Juan Desmodes ordered the dissolvent of taskforce 'Viking'.

Leaked information has revealed that no more than one-hundred and five members of the taskforce actually recognized the order. The rest have since been avoiding Alliance spotligts, but raids on batarian colonies, epscially in times of slave-auctions, are believed to have been carried out by humans sporting the emblem of the Vikings.

Alliance officials denies all ties.

* * *

**Alright, I am beginning to think these codex-entries are better than wasting space in the actual story, so if new events or people, weapons and such pop up, they will be descriped in these codex-entries.**

**Anway, i'm getting a little worried here, as Master Chief is taking the lead. Don't get me wrong, he's an awesome character, and there has been lots of ME-Halo fics with him... but maybe that means that if I involve him it will just become like the rest... nah, of course not! I've got some pretty good things in store for just about every option in the poll, so just you watch ;)**

**Damn, writing late and cold? That causes some type-errors... just so you know that the errors in the last part of the story isn't because of my aweful grammar, it's simply the cold... yes, I know it's early summer and all, but Denmark is still pretty damn cold at times. **

**Well, I do believe that was all, remember to review (if you feel like it) and tell me if you noticed something that completely butt-f**ked the story (although I think I've got that part covered ;) )**

**See ya ;D**


	25. An Aussie a day keeps the Doctor away

**Well, I did say that I would wait with updates till Sunday, like a routine, but... let's make that a "that's the latest date" deal, so that Sunday is the latest date for me to update... if that makes any sense.**

**Aaaand... i got a review from a guest, that's what he posted as, where I was notified that some things were... off, in the last chapter. How the email was written for starters. also, Apparantly Aasari-names are without appostrophs, which I honestly didn't know. I do not know who you are, but that is what I call constructive critisism. Gracias :)**

**Alright, this chapter is a bit shorter than the rest. Look at it as sort of a small intersection, as it focuses on... well, I'll let you see for yourselves now. Enjoy :)**

* * *

An Aussie a day keeps the doctor at bay

October 4th

MSV Fedele - Cargo-hold

22:23 (Ship time)

"Breaching, breaching!" Kaidan shouts, kicking in the door to the cargo-hold of the MSV Fedele, a medium-sized freighter currently owned by a Salarian by the name of Doctor Heart. Kind of a sick joke, if you ask me. The entire room is stacked with crates and boxes of varying sizes. There's little to no lighting in here, and we all have our flashlights on, scouring the room as we move in, checking the corners of the large room.

"Check corners!" John orders, swinging his shotgun around a crate to search for hostiles. So far we've seen none, not even scared techs or other normal stuff.

"All clear over he- wait, what's that?" Garrus says, highlighting a form huddled up on the floor. Stepping closer, I notice how the form resembles a human in fetus-position. There's a slight moaning coming from it;

"Holy… guys, we've got a live one here!" I say, turning to face the others, only to notice the look of horror on Garrus's face.

"What?" I say, not really getting what he's afraid of. I'm answered soon enough though, when the person on the floor suddenly grabs a hold of me, making a sick gurgling sound instead of talking. Quickly turning my head to face him, I look into a pair of empty sockets; there are not even dead eyes there, just holes where the orbs used to be. The skin is colored a sick grey, almost like the zombies back on Feros, just more… just different. The teeth are all gone from the mouth, removed or simply disappeared, and instead the mouth is reeking with the stench of some kind of rot or acid. It's sweet, almost like when tossing some kind of sugary substance on a fire and smelling the sugar boil. Only, this is way, waaay worse;

"Holy Fuck! What the hell?" I shout, humping back from the creature in front of me as it unleashes a small cascade of fluids from its mouth. Upon hitting the floor, the yellow substance starts boiling away on the floor, leaving a large burn mark on the metal. _Better not get hit with that._ I think as I place a round in the skull of the creature with my hand-gun. Upon collapsing on the floor, the sound of the shot being fired echoes in the hallways. Not even a second later, choirs of moaning echoes along with it, causing my blood to freeze in the veins. _Not good!_

"Fisher, Alenko, secure the left side, nothing gets through. Vakarian, help me secure the right side of these crates. The last thing we need right now is to get swarmed." John orders. We all comply, falling into position. Having secured our places, we all sit tight, not even daring to speak a word. Soon, the moaning gains strength, as well as being supplemented by the sound of feet scraping along the floor.

"Don't shoot unless you are sure to hit. Don't break formation at any costs. Alenko, use your biotics to hold them off if the gun-fire proves insufficient." John orders with a voice little louder than a whisper. Holstering my pistol, I yank out the M-22 Katana John told us all to equip for the breaching mission. It's the first time I ever use a shotgun, seeing as Home Defense never really valued the use of them. Now I'm probably going to pay the price for it. Still… remembering how difficult the Thorian zombies were to bring down, I'm quite happy to suffer a sore arm, as long as it keeps the creepies at bay.

"Target in sight…" Garrus says while aiming the Katana at the oncoming shadows.

"Wait for them to get closer." John whispers.

"I see 'em too Shepard… can we shoot now?" I say as the walking dead comes into view. They look like regular humans and a few turians, just without skin, gray tissue and empty sockets. And, if that last one was anything to go by, they barf acid.

"Shepard…" Kaidan growls, fingers gripping tighter on his shotgun.

"A little closer… fire." He whispers, unloading the first shells from his own shotgun. We all follow up instantly, mowing down the rows of walkers as they just keep walking towards us, each row coming closer than the former. After a few volleys, they are almost upon us. Firing of the last shot before my shotgun overheats, I pull out my pistol and turn towards Kaidan, who himself is currently busy making a new asshole in the middle of one of the turian zombies;

"Kaidan, we could use some space-magic now!" I shout at the biotic. Giving me a hectic nod, he stretches his palms outwards, firing up the dark energy. Suddenly, a large orb appears in the middle of the room, starting to tug its surroundings towards its core. That includes the multiple zombies nearby as they are simply lifted off their feet and sent floating towards the orb, constantly bumping together as they near the middle.

"Good enough?" Kaidan shouts as he unloads his own shotgun towards the mass of bodies tangled up a meter above the ground.

"That'll work!" I shout back as I follow his example and unload my now cooled-down shotgun towards the bodies, many of them starting to leak a sickly greenish and yellow liquid from the bullet wounds.

"Mara, they just don't know when to stop!" I shout, noticing that a new bunch of them have appeared, completely ignoring their friends caught up in a singularity. Aiming my shotgun towards then newcomers, I'm joined by Garrus firing of shots in quick succession, taking down seven of the foremost walkers his shotgun overheats from the action. As soon as Garrus stops firing, I keep it going, blasting a few of the walkers to smears with the Katana. Despite the fact that each shot hurts like hell, it isn't all that bad a weapon. I might even get used to it… even though that's a pretty dark thought. That would mean I would have to shoot more things, even if it would just be geth, Legion prove that they have a sort of life of their own… so it is in essence the same as shooting a mentally handicapped. That kinda puts things into perspective.

"Aaaargghh! Kazuat nol fríné! Get it off me!" John suddenly shouts, something resembling panic filling his voice.

"Fisher, get over here! I gnnnhh… can't get it off him!" Garrus shouts with a frantic voice. _Fuckfuckfuck!_

"Go, I'll hold here!" Kaidan shouts, borderline kicking me in the direction from where John's voice is coming from. After a short run, I discover Garrus to be pulling and tearing at one of the walkers, the thing clutching at a tumbled over John. _No no no, we can't lose people already!_ I scream at myself as I arrive at their position, throwing the shotgun to the side.

"Move over Garrus, watch my back!" I have no idea what I'm saying, or why, but Garrus just obeys, moving back to his position. Taking a grip on the creature currently latched on to John, I start pulling. _Oh no you don't you mutated son of a whore!_ Feeling the artificial muscles tensing in my left arm, I decide to take a gamble and let go with my right hand, only to grab even tighter with the left. Ignoring the soft beeping from my shoulder, I tear at the creature, instantly yanking it off of John and on to the floor next to him. As it's trying to get up, I bring down an armored boot and destroy its head, resulting in an explosion of stinking tissue and sickly colored liquid coating the floor and the soles on my boot as well. I then grab the body by one of the legs, tossing it towards the remaining walkers as Garrus and Kaidan continues thinning them out with a combination of bullets and biotics. John gets up again, nodding a thanks and grabs his shotgun. _Man, if anything, this guy is one hell of a tough one. I would have pissed myself there._ I mull to myself as I bring my shotgun to bear on the last of the walkers, removing the torso and shoulders, causing the head and legs to fly back in an almost comical fashion.

"I… I think that was all of them… Jesus, what were those things?" Kaidan calls with an exhausted voice. I can feel my own legs begin to shake beneath me, threatening to give away at any moment.

"Fuck… Hell… if I know. They looked like those zombie-things on Feros, but… there were a few that looked turian here… Garrus, do you… know what these things were?" I stammer, trying to catch my breath. My hands are shaking, and I find it hard to keep the finger form touching the trigger on the shotgun. _Mara, what the hell is wrong with me?_

"_I believe you are experiencing a mild case of PCS, or Post Combat Stress. It's fairly normal, especially among those not used to the chaos of battle. I'll try and make it pass a bit faster."_

"_Thanks… whoa, that was pretty extreme!"_

"I… they might have been the people, the hostages from Saleon's ship, but there wasn't this many aboard his craft when he fled the Citadel… the slime has been busy." Garrus mutters, just loud enough to overpower the growl coming from him as well.

"Well, there's only one guy left then. 'Heart' himself. Let's see if we can't find the captain of this ship." John says, grabbing his shotgun in a more relaxed posture before heading down the hallway.

Doesn't even take us five minutes to come across an aging Salarian hiding in a storeroom;

"Doctor Heart?" Kaidan asks. The Salarian looks at us, eyes lingering a bit longer at the Turian in our group, before looking at the Canadian biotic;

"Y-Yes… thanks for saving me from those things… don't know… know where they came from." He says, black eyes twitching.

"So, they weren't the poor folks you invited on a trip when you left the Citadel?" Garrus says, stepping forward and grabs the Salarian by the neck of his lab-coat;

"N-no! I… my name is Heart! Doctor Refral Heart! I don't know who you are or why-" He is interrupted before finishing, as Garrus slaps a talon across the amphibian's face.

"Shut it Saleon, I've been looking for you for more than seven years… do you have any idea how much I've looked forward to this moment?" Garrus says with a cruel smirk. The Salarian is clearly affected by this, as he begins to stammer;

"Ga-Garrus! Come on I'm sure we- find out… let's talk about-!" He struggles to talk as Garrus's hand is placed around his throat.

"So, you are just doctor Heart now eh? Or was there something you would like to tell the nice humans before I decide to rip out your entrails and stuff you inside them? I hear it's quite a delicacy among Krogans."

"Please, please I don't wanna die!" the Salarian screams. Garrus is unfazed, lifting the Salarian above the ground as he tightens his grip around the guy's throat;

"Well guess what? You should have thought about that before playing Frankenstein, costing me seven years of my life, and killing all those people out there..." Garrus sneers, and with a wet snap he breaks the Salarian's neck. Saleon instantly goes limp, dangling from Garrus's grip like some macabre doll. The rest of us simply stand there, starring at what just happened, none of us really capable of comprehending what just transpired before our very eyes. Letting go of the Salarian, Garrus slowly raises his hands, starting to shake frantically;

"I…I…I didn't…I…" Is all he says. All he can say, I guess. None of us speaks a word, but with sort of a non-verbal agreement, we start heading back to the ship, Garrus following a short distance behind.

_I need a drink._

…

October 5th

Normandy

Mess Hall 01:03 (ship time)

Emptying the mug in one large sip, I place it upon the table, after which I instantly pour a new one, repeating the movements from earlier, downing my fifth cup in a row. My head is killing me, and my mind is still sketching out the image of Garrus breaking the neck of the Salarian, screaming for his life.

_Mara… that Garrus did that… just… did that?_

"_I do not know if I should be surprised really, seeing as he just did spend seven years of his life hunting the maniac, and I checked the corpse, it was him."_

"_I… didn't know you could do that…" _I am still having some difficulty forming a response. That the conversation is going on inside my head doesn't make it any easier.

"_I wouldn't be much of a divine being if my only powers lay in controlling your body and speaking through you, now would I?"_

"_I… guess…"_

Speaking of the Turian, Garrus is sitting across the table, just looking at his hand. I don't really know what he is thinking, but if the silence is any indication, I don't think he is about to boast about it. Having endured the silence for most of the night, I decide to try and snap him out of it;

"Hey… you alright Garrus?"

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you felt alright." I repeat, trying to get a look at his eyes.

"That man was my purpose in life for almost seven years, only replaced by Saren a few months ago… if he is dead now… did I just kill a bit of myself as well? I mean… it's like… if you suddenly declared no more need for martial training, and that all war was ended. All Turians spend more than ten years in the military, including training… it would be like saying that they wasted ten years of their lives… not a , very good metaphor, I know… but I don't really know what else to say."

"So… you regret killing him?" I ask, remembering the screams and then the snap.

"Not for spirits-damned second. He had terrorized innocents for too long, but… let's say, you finish a book… do you have a book-series you loved reading, that became part of who you were?"

"Yeah… the Harry Potter series…seven books in total."

"And when you finished the last book, what did you feel like?"

"A bit… empty, actually. Like I had just completed one of the main missions in my life and now didn't know what to do… I think I see what you mean, but there's still a difference between killing someone, and finishing a book Garrus."

"I know, it was just for explaining… but no: I don't regret killing him. The galaxy is better off without him running his sick experiments on innocents. I think I just need something to drink. You know if there's alcohol on board?" He suddenly says, turning to face me after just starring into the wall;

"I… sorry Garrus, but despite all the weird stuff that's happened here, I don't think an Alliance ship carries booze. Or I would have found it myself already." I reply with a small and tired smile. Dammit I'm tired. The next time there is a raid on a ship at twenty-two in the evening, have Tequila or Nic partake in it, and let me have my sleep.

"Oh well… it couldn't hurt to ask. Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll hit the bunks. I feel like I need some extra sleep."

"Me too… hold a sec while I throw this in the dishwasher, and I'll be right there."

"Fine, but… don't take too… too long, alright? Damn, I really need some sleep right now." Garrus says, and having discarded the mug and tea-pot, I follow him and before a full minute has passed, we're each in our respective beds, allowing sleep to wash over us.

…

October 5th

Normandy

Training room 10.11 (Ship time)

"Hey…Ash. Do you… know where we're headed…now?" I ask between doing crunches. We are in the gym, trying to improve upon my condition, and so far I'm actually on seventy crunches. It's hard to imagine having improved that much over night. But it could be the massive amounts of oatmeal served for breakfast today. I love oatmeal, as long as it isn't made with military provisions, but by someone who actually cares about whether people like it or not. I still don't know what they put in Dextro-amino oatmeal, since they don't have oat… or other versions of grain normally found on Earth. Groaning, Ash pushes herself up in a seated position before answering;

"Well… I think we're actually heading back to the Citadel… something about Garrus wanting to rub something in his former boss's face, and John needing to see the council about something else. Don't know much other than that." She says, returning to the crunches. _The Citadel…again already?_ I follow her example;

"How many yet?" she asks, not stopping her own streak;

"Seventy…or seventy-one, I'm not sure." I moan, feeling the muscles in my abdomen tense as I pull myself upwards again.

"See, we're making progress… still, you are falling behind. Ninety-one… ninety-two…" Hell…

"Ash… how… can you… do that many?"

"Practice… practice, and a good six-pack. That… really all… there is… to it."

"Still… why don't we just say that you won this time again, and we'll…. Try again… later?" _seventy-seven…_

"Alright, but that means onwards to the push-ups." Ash says, quickly getting up and swinging her legs over the bench.

I follow her example and take a quick inhale of air before following her to the uplifted platforms Ash believes will force more out of the pushups. Not that I understand how that is supposed to work, but I don't feel like asking stupid questions right now, so I just follow suit, looking at Kaidan and Nic competing on the weights. I can faintly pick up Nicolai accusing Kaidan of suing biotics to lift the bar.

"You do know… that by the time we're done with these push-up thingies, I'll probably hate you like mankind hates the plague, right?" I say, giving her a wry smile.

"Oh I'm counting on it. One!"

…

"Citadel control, this is SSV Normandy, requesting permission to dock with the Citadel." Joker says, as always focusing more on his job than any of us would be capable of. Plus, he enjoys his work more than I would. I'm not really one for steering a plane let alone a starship.

"SSV Normandy, this is Citadel control. You have been given docking cradle B-40. Have a good stay, and say hey to Karrin for me." A female voice says.

"Thanks will do." Joker responds, ending the transmission. So apparently, Chakwas knows someone in the CC… cool.

…

Citadel

Docking cradle B-40.

15:38 (Citadel standard time)

"John left already?" I say, looking at the ramp leading away from the ship. Tequila and Nic are standing next to me, just as unused to this place as I am. Which I guess is a small comfort.

"Yeah, he said he had to go see the council in person… something about diplomacy between the council and his people." She says shrugging.

"Right… the deal… I wonder if Kasumi has dropped by at Anna's place yet… she haven't been onboard the ship since we left."

"Yeah, you really left me behind there. Seriously, a girl can't go shopping without you people leaving her at the first chance?" A voice suddenly says. Spinning around like a pissed off cat, we all three stare at the materializing form of a woman clad in a black body-suit and a hood.

"Dammit Kasumi, stop scaring the piss out of me like that!" Nicolai shouts, holding a hand to his chest. Kasumi seems like she can't hold back a giggle. And she can't.

"Seriously girl, that isn't the best way to make friends, scarring the living daylight out of them." Tequila says, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well, can't help the way I am, can I?" She says, leaning against the railing on the ramp. Sighing, I just shake my head;

"Well, it wasn't intended to leave you behind, but did you at least get the engines?" Well, she already got the LA/AT gunship, so I can at least hope that she did this as well, right?

"The… engines?" She says, no longer smiling.

"Right… well, I need you to go back to wherever you found that gunship, the new sci-fi one, and try and get some schematics for the engines from the big ships. If you want to, feel free to snap anything else you find there, as well as any cool tech or just credits. You know, for good service." I say the last part with a grin, feeling like some kind of boss, giving his employees orders.

"Baka… then I have to get back with all those boring plastic-boys… I was almost caught last time you know, a guy with a blue plasma-thingy and beard almost caught up with me… the most annoying part is that he didn't even seem pissed…" _Wait… Star Wars…blue sword… did she meet Obi-Wan? _

"Man… girl did you outrun a Jedi?" Tequila asks, looking at Kasumi with something akin to disbelief. Nicolai must have told her about Kasumi's small adventures.

"That what they're called? Well, it was more like I hid, then once I felt safe, I de-cloaked and… well, we'll take that later, okay?" She says, turning transparent again. And that leaves us just standing there. After some moments of silence, Nic breaks the ice;

"Well… aside from that small occurrence of randomness… I do believe we have some plans today. Wanna join Tequila and me in the arcade Thomas?" He says. I can't help but notice the faint pleading look from Tequila. She is not all that secure about him in that way… well, better correct that. Even though the arcade did sound fun. And I'm even going to be alone on the ship then, seeing as ash is out shopping, and I wasn't allowed to come along;

"Nah, you two go have fun. I've got some stuff I've gotta do on the ship anyway." I say, shrugging with a small smile. A look of defeat comes over the corporal as she and Nic walks down the ramp, heading for the nearest elevator. Sighing, I stretch out and head back towards the docking tube, not really noticing the blond-haired woman suddenly tailing me. The sound of footsteps does catch my attention though, and I stop walking;

"Excuse me, but this is the SSV Normandy, right?" A female voice says, sounding somewhat familiar. Turning around, I shrug;

"Yeah, it is… who are you?" I ask, noticing a young blond woman standing in front of me, dressed not unlike Jilani, but with a more pleasant face. And a pair of really shrewd eyes.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself again, didn't I? Sorry, I'm really new to all this." She says in a thick accent, but I can't make out just where it's from, or where I've heard it before, but I _know_ I've heard it before.

"So… who are you?"

"Ah, Stephanie Watson, Citadel News Net. I'm doing a piece about humanity's involvement in the hunt for… Saren Arterius, that's his name, no?" She says, a hint of nervousness in her voice as she extends her hand. With a bit of reluctance, I take it;

"Ehm… Thomas Fisher, corporal on SSV Normandy." When I say my name, her face lights up for some reason, as if to giggle or because of relief;

"Yes, I remember now. You were recently promoted, no? I saw the interview with Udina where he told about your promotion and the Purple Heart. By the way, I can't help but notice that you've got it hanging from you neck. Is there a reason for that?" She says, pointing at my medal. She is a little… personal. It's a bit weird, especially since I'm sure I've seen her before.

"_You really do not recognize her?" _Roku says with a hint of mockery.

"_No… but I feel like I should… a little help?"_

"_Give her black hair and think two years into the future."_

"_Holy hell… now I recognize her alright… Damn, wonder what she's doing here."_ Now that I know, it's really quite clear who she is. Little miss perfect human.

_What do I do about her?_

"_Don't know… could be interesting to see what she wants, especially since she disguised hersel journalist… for now, I say we play the act of the unknowing. What do you say?"_

"_Sure… but if she tries blowing up the ship, I'm taking her down, Miranda or not."_

"So… miss Watson. How can I help you?" I ask, keeping the same mask as before, but I fear a bit of my internal grin might be visible. Looking delighted, the Australian woman answers;

"Well, I was actually wondering if I could get an interview with a crewmember, as well as… well, a tour on the ship… if that is okay." She asks, looking a bit nervous. Now that I know who she really is, it could be fun to watch her play the role as a newbie reporter. _Somehow, I doubt I'm going to get bored._

"Well, I can probably help you with the interview, since I'm pretty much the only one left on the ship right now… but I'll have to contact the commander first to make sure the ship-tour is alright." I say, receiving a happy nod. I press the intercom, getting in contact with Shepard. We all made sure our head-pieces were aligned to John's, so that if trouble should arise, if for example that ass of a turian C-Sec guy would try and jump me, I can call John with the press of a button, not having to go through the halfway restored list in my new Omni-tool;

"Commander John'Shepard here, who is this?"

"Hey Shepard, Fisher here. Look, I've got something of a situation here, no it's nothing bad, just curious if journalists are allowed tours on the ship while we're docked?" There is a pause on his end;

"Well… as long as you don't let him or her out of your sight… then I suppose it wouldn't hurt… Just make sure that it… it isn't that Jilani-woman, is it?" He suddenly asks, a worried tone in his voice;

"Nah John, the only way I would let her near the Normandy again would be to tie her to the outer hull."

"Good man. Well, I suppose I don't see anything wrong in it then. If you need some help guiding, I think Joker is still onboard."

"Alright, thanks commander." I say, ending the comm. Turning to face Stephanie, or should I just call her Miranda? I nod, beckoning for her to come closer. It must be strange for her, to have to obey a lowly corporal. If she remembers me in two years, I'm probably going to hear some shit for today.

"Well? Can I… come aboard?" She asks with a surprisingly genuine anxiousness. I still wonder what she's got planned, since John isn't aboard, and Jane is occupying the big bed in the captain's cabin, sleeping. Or reading… at any rate, it would be dumb to disturb her.

"Yeah, it's alright. Just stay where I can see you and it should be fine. Shall we?" I say, beckoning at the docking-tube. She follows me inside, looking around with big eyes as the VI runs its course;

"Can I conduct the interview while we're walking about, or would you prefer to wait till the end?" She asks, as the door to the ship glides open, revealing the corridor next to the cockpit. She walks in first, probably forgetting her place upon seeing the interior;

"Hey Tho- eh…. Who are you?" Joker asks, having swung around in his chair to greet the first person he would have suspected entering. Following Miranda inside, I look at Joker, sitting there in what could almost seem like a starring contest with the young woman;

"Hey Joker, this is Stephanie… Watson, I think, from Citadel News Net. She's asked to be given a tour on-"

"Oh my God! You're Jeff Moureau!" Miranda suddenly exclaims, apparently sticking even closer to her cover story.

"Eh… yeah?" It's obvious Joker isn't used to being recognized. Especially not by young blondes.

"Your sister Hillary told me so much about you, especially about your Vroliks-syndrome. Can I interview you? Best pilot in the Alliance, please say yes!" I am not sure who is most surprised right now, me or Joker.

"_Well this is unexpected…"_

"_That's an understatement…"_

"_Think it's a bluff?"_

"_Has to be, its Miranda we're talking about here… but… why would she care about joker or his sister… does Joker even __**have**__ a sister?"_

"_Apparently, he does…"_

"I… sure… hey Thomas, looks like even I have some female admirers eh?"

"Yeah, and that's probably all it's gonna be. But I'll just be staying here till the two of you are done, and I'll show her around the rest of the ship is she still wants to." I shouldn't have said that.

Half an hour later, Miranda is _finally_ finishing up the interview with Joker. Dear Gods, that was stretched. Finally ending the recording from her drone, the woman turns around and looks at me;

"Can we continue now?" I ask, not being able to conceal a small grunt as a big dea of my 'yank Miranda around' time has been spent on her chatting with Joker.

"Sure, if you'll still show me around." She says, a cheery smile on her lips. I've gotta admit, she is deserving of the title 'perfect woman'… but I'm not interested, especially because I know who she is, and what Cerberus did to John. We continue walking down the CIC, only greeted by one or two crewmembers still on duty. She takes some pictures of the Galaxy map, and we proceed down the stairs, with an odd stare from Pressly following us as the older navigator just returned from what looks like liquor-shopping. He especially looks at Miranda. I really hope he isn't looking for the same reason most would.

Entering the mess-hall, I notice that besides one girl eating a roast beef sandwich, there's no one in here;

"Well, this is the mess-hall. This is where the crew eats, as well as where we have the medicinal department located to our right, over there, and the captain's cabin, over there." Say, pointing as I'm speaking;

"So that's where Commander John'Shepard sleeps?" She asks, turning the drone to film around the room. _Maybe she is here to spy out the interior for a boarding mission?_

"hmmm… well, Shepard sleeps in there, yes, but not at the moment, and crewmembers are not allowed in there unless it's an emergency. Do you want to go down a level, or to stay here a little longer?" I ask, searching her face for a reaction that could betray her intentions.

"Actually… is there a bathroom on this level?" Okay, points for saying unexpected things miss Lawson…

"Well… yes, right over there, around the corner." I say, pointing to the restroom next to the kitchen. She is immediately off, leaving me and the drone to wait. Me not fully understanding just what is going on here.

A few minutes later, Miranda returns, a slight frown on her face;

"Something wrong Miss Watson?" I ask, not sure if I should be concerned or gleeful over her expression.

"The faucets here are… mediocre, to say the least…" She says, pinching her nose.

"Yeah well, it's a military ship. They don't allow booze here either…" But hey wait a… then what was it Pressly had bought? Sure as hell looked like bottles of wine to me.

"A pity. Well, I… have to get back. Just received a call about an accident I'm supposed to cover."

"B-but…"

"Sorry we didn't get to the interview mister Fisher. Next time, okay?"

"I…" And she's already at the top of the stairs. Her drone floats after her, exiting the ship some seconds after her with me and some other looking after her. _Well… that was unexpected… she wasn't even interested in the Tantalus drive core…_

"_Hmmm…. Yes that is a pretty strange inde- wait… check the women's bathroom."_

"_What? I'm not going in there."_

"_Lawson left something in there… some kind of mechanical contraption."_

"_On the bathroom? Tell me you're kidding."_

"_Afraid no- it moves? I'm no expert on tech, but small boxes shouldn't be able to- and it climbs on the ceiling as well?"_

"_Slow the hell down, where or what is it?"_

I didn't even have to ask, as a faint skidding sound alerts me of a presence nearby. Looking around, I can't find anything out of the ordinary, but the sound persists. I wonder what the hell makes that sound.

"_Look up!"_

Hmm? Following Roku's advice, I look at the ceiling, just in time to see a small form skitter across it. it looked remarkably much like a spider, but way to big, and it didn't look organic either. _Well… now we know what Miranda left us…_

I follow the small robotic thing as it takes a turn and skitters around the elevator, coming back out in the mess hall. Constantly walking with my eyes on the ceiling, I nearly walk into the table and the ensign sitting there, looking at me like I'm behaving retarded;

"Corporal? What are you doing?"

"I… can you hear that sound?" I ask, being quite to allow her to listen in as well.

"Well… a faint skittering… where does it come from?" She asks, looking around as if she expects a jukebox to be making the sound from a corner of the room.

"Look in the ceiling. There's some sort of small robotic spider in here. It's not ours." I say, continuing to scour the room for the small artificial arachnid.

"Sheit… where is it now?" She says, forgetting about her sandwich.

"Don't know, but run up and tell Joker to bring us out of dock. If it has taken something, info, data, anything, I don't want it to leave just yet."

"Yes sir." She says, running up the stairs. _Yes…'sir'? Well that's a first…_

Continuing my search, I notice the small bugger at the entrance to the captain's quarters. If it spots Jane, or if Jane spots it… I'm going to be in trouble either way. Jumping into the air, I manage to knock it down, but it just skitters away, as if it isn't even programmed, but is actively controlled. I wonder if it's got cameras and mikes, that would explain the smartness in its movements.

"Come out, come out wherever you are…" I mumble.

"_I don't think that will help…"_

Spotting the metallic bug headed for the elevator, I follow suit. The bitch in this is just the fact that, as soon as I've entered the elevator, the small thing skitters away again. _Okay, so apparently I can't just knock it down and expect it to stay down… I wonder if we have a glass-jar somewhere in here…_

A few moments later, I'm tracking the escapist, armed with a large jelly-glass. I just hope this will work. Haven't done this since pre-school, so I'm probably not that good at it anymore. This may be gravely serious, but for some reason I can't help crack a smile. This is just too surreal. I'm on the Normandy, armed with a jelly-glass, hunting a robotic spider. How can this place just keep the surprises coming?

"All personnel, this is your pilot speaking. We are currently experiencing a small maintenance-issue, so we'll take a few loops around the station to see if everything works. That'll be all." Joker's voice calls over the comm. system. _I guess that takes care of the 'escapist' part. Now to catch the bugger. Speaking of… where the hell did it go now?_

"_By Kaidan's work-station, the terminals."_ Roku says, almost pointing my body towards the location. Running over to the place, I spot the probably weirdest thing yet. She small spider looks like it's… dancing on the holographic interfaces. It's moving way too fast for me to catch, even though I try more than once.

"For Talos' sake, hold still you crazy bug!" I sneer, almost expecting it to actually obey me. Finally, it slows down enough for me to jam the glass over it, effectively trapping it inside.

Looking at the small robot scuttle around inside the glass, I'm getting an uncomfortable sort of déjà vu, remembering those large cuttlefish-like machines the collectors use. The differences aren't that many really. Well, except for the size and the lack of human heads inside it. Quickly screwing the top back onto the glass, I hold it up in the light to get a better look at it. It looks like there is a small camera and mike mounted on it. I just can't resist the temptation, so I open the glass just enough for sound to enter it;

"Hello Miranda, look what I found." I say in an, admittedly, really smug voice. The small machine instantly starts scratching about, almost as if mimicking the controller's mood right now, pissed as she no doubt is;

"How did you know?" A voice suddenly speaks from the tiny robot. I almost drop the glass from sheer shock. _Okay, two points for surprises now!_ I manage to collect myself before answering;

"Let that be my little secret, alright? Now, why did you let this thing loose on my ship?" I ask as I sit down at the end of the corridor leading to the gun-control. It does have its advantages being capable of ushering other people out, though I need to figure out what to do with this thing, and fast;

"Do you actually expect me to answer that question Fisher?" She says, a very strong tone of anger in it. Probably because she was bested by a lowly jarhead like me. _Gods, I wish I could see he face right now…_

"If you want your little fellow here back, then yes, I do actually expect you to answer that Question, or should I just give it to John'Shepard? I'm sure he would just be overjoyed knowing that a couple of Cerberus agents are near his ship." This is a bit of a gamble actually, seeing as I only expect Jacob to be with her. I mean, they were a thing as far as I remember.

"What do you mean by a couple? How can you be sure it's not just me here?" She asks, the sound of a smug smile in her voice is a bit annoying, to be honest. Alright, time to see if I'm right. I can probably still turn it even if I'm wrong;

"So, there's no big, strong guy by the name of Jacob around? A pity, he's quite popular among a few people here on board." I say. There's no response for the first few moments, only a quick intake of breath. I can hear some people arguing in the background. Holy crap, this is by far some of the best stuff I've done on the Normandy so far: Pissing off Miranda. Damn it's gold!

"You do know I'm going to figure out who you are to know all this right?" She says in a less secure voice. I'm guessing she's getting a bit nervous now.

"Oh, I'm counting on it Miss Lawson. You wouldn't be much of Timmy's right hand if you couldn't figure out a lowly marine like me, now would you?"

"Why you- how the hell do you know this!?" Miranda now shouts so loud into her mike that it's actually echoing through the corridor I'm in. I'm starting to get a little worried now. If I'm pissing her too much off, she might just have the ship boarded when we dock again. If she can actually do that, of course.

"Miranda, do you really want to argue, or do you want to trade? You get your little robot back, as well as perhaps the data I'm guessing it was here to steal, and I get a favor from your boss in the future. A favor I might not even have to ask. Doesn't that sound like a good deal to you?" I say, rubbing my temples as the small spider-thing just sits still in the jar. There's no response for some minutes, and my back is starting to hurt, so I try and reposition myself as there is finally an answer.

"Why would you do that, hmm? Give information to a terrorist organization? What do you stand to gain from it?"

"And they said you were bright… as much as I dislike your organization, especially for what you did to John when he was little more than a fucking child… we both know that humanity needs Cerberus. Just not the fanatical experiment-on-aliens kind of Cerberus."

"Just so you know, I didn't even know about Shepard's experiences until a few months back… but you do have a point. Where do you want to meet?" She says, earning a small grin from me.

…

Citadel

Zakera-ward - 'Delan's Sushi'.

16:27

"I don't like this Fisher… meeting with two members of that organization… you sure it was smart asking _me_ to tag along?" Wrex says, leaning against the counter since the last stool he tried, broke under him.

"Well, you are kinda the toughest guy on the ship, and I feel a lot safer knowing that they'll think twice before starting to shoot at a Krogan… especially one as big as you." I shrug.

"True, you would probably just wet yourself if they started shooting." He chuckles, a rough yet oddly calming sound.

"What, you don't think I have a quad? Wanna arm-wrestle on it?" I smirk, flexing my left arm

"Nah, Williams would just kill me for tearing your arm off…" he scuffs, looking like he's feeling a bit insecure without his shotgun on him. But, we agreed to come unarmed. Besides, Wrex is a biotic, and you can hardly disarm a biotic, now can you?

"So you are scared of a human woman, yet you call Thomas the one without a quad?" Kaidan butts in, sitting with a plate of small pieces of sushi.

"Hey, Williams is pretty scary when she's pissed. I don't know if you saw her after Feros Alenko, but she could have been on a blood rage for all I know." Wrex retorts. Kaidan shifts his gaze to me;

"By the way Thomas… are you sure this meeting is a good idea? Meeting with… that kind of people?"

"I know what they are… what they have done and probably are doing, but… it's hard to explain, but in the end, this may help us more than you can imagine Kaidan… just trust the Ghost-guy on this one, alright?"

"Fine, but I still don't like it. Especially after you told me what that bunch did to the commander. I'm guessing that's why you haven't told him?" He says, pinching down another piece of shrimp with the two sticks. I'm starting to get a little hungry myself as well… wonder if I could get some sushi as well before-

"_They are here…"_ Guess not.

Turning around, I poke Kaidan on the shoulder. Wrex is already looking over the crowd of people, probably searching for someone standing out from the rest. Looking as well, I spot a blond head standing out from the crowd, as well as a pair of muscular men in civilian clothes. One of them, the darks-skinned one, looks really familiar, if it wasn't for the longer hair and the cleanly shaven face. Putting my hands behind my back, I press the small button in my left hand;

"Jane, you seeing all this?"

"And hearing. Go ahead with the meeting. We'll provide overwatch." Jane says, ending the conversation. She and Garrus are somewhere above us on either the Keepers' catwalks or some balcony. I just found it smarter to have some more backup in case I would be attempted kidnapped and tortured to press my secrets out of me. I can already feel the cold-sweat running down my back, soaking my shirt.

_I don't suppose you can turn off the cold-sweat and give me a poker-face of stone while you are at it?_

"_I can take care of the sweating, but the poker-face? You are on your own there." _Roku says, all the while I'm feeling the sweating subside again. My shirt is still damp though, and my heart is beating against the ribs.

"Alright, let's get the show on." Wrex says with a grin, looking at the three Cerberus agents with what looks like contempt.

"Just watch for any sudden movements, and try not to kill anyone." I say, giving him a mildly amused look. The three people walking towards us don't seem to be armed, but it's Miranda. She could kill you with a plastic-cup if provoked.

When her group reaches us, she doesn't say anything, just gestures for us to move away from the café. Nodding to the rest, I follow her, walking to the side of the large room that is this part of the ward.

"Alright, hand over the robot." She says, holding her hand out. _She actually thinks I am __**that **__stupid?_

"Just like that, hmm? Miranda, Miranda I thought you were bright. You are, undoubtedly, but you also seem to misjudge my intellect, not to mention my knowledge." I respond, earning a raised brow from the woman, as well as a tensing in my two teammates.

"I don't really care about your knowledge Fisher, if that is even your real name. I just need that drone back."

"Oh? But I wanted the rest of my interview miss Lawson… oh sorry, I mean Miss Watson. Seriously: the next time you try to infiltrate a ship, at least try a little harder with the disguise. Besides, I recognized your voice right away when you spoke to me first time." Miranda steps forward with what look like the fires of hell burning behind her eyes.

"Was it something I said?" I ask in half-way mockery. I know this is probably stupid beyond reason, especially since there's a chance we're going to be working together in two years time, but I just can't help it.

"Have you been spying on me?" She says, her voice etched with anger.

"Well… not in the way you might be thinking… but let just say I know pretty much everything about you… but that's not why we're here. We're here to discuss the terms for which I return your toy to you." I wonder how I can actually be this hardass in a negotiation. Normally I would have cracked or something by now.

"_I always work on optimal capacity."_

"_That… was just downright creepy. But thanks."_

"No, now we discuss how the hell you know about me, and then we can discuss the drone." She says, her voice on the edge of shouting. I'm guessing she doesn't like not being in control of everything.

"Sorry, wasn't part of the deal. The deal was I get a favor from your organization, and you get your robot, and some info, provided it isn't classified." Kaidan places a hand on my shoulder;

"You sure that's wise? That would be like if the Americans had given the Taliban weapons."

"They did. As far as I know, things went bad after that. But these people still think they are doing humanity a favor, so I'm willing to give them a chance. I'll explain later, if I get the chance." Kaidan removes his hand and nods. He probably still doesn't agree with it, but at least he trusts me enough to let me take point. He could actually overrule me anytime he want, seeing as he is a lieutenant, and I'm just a corporal;

"Fine, you get your favor if we get the info."

"Then I keep the drone." I state, not making compromises.

"Listen here you little arrogant prick-" Miranda bursts out, pointing a blue-glowing fist at me. _Fuck, I forgot. Miranda is a biotic as well!_ The dark-skinned man next to her grabs her hand and forces it down.

"Miranda, we do not want to cause more trouble than we already have. Calm down." The man says. his deep voice strikes the proverbial cord. _Holy hell, Jacob Taylor! I knew he looked familiar!_

"Thanks mister Taylor, now can we proceed?" Me uttering his last name seems to make him flinch, just a bit.

"Fine, you get the favor, and we get the drone. Happy?"

"Very much so." I say, handing over the small robot, gift wrapped in tin-foil for the occasion. Opening it, Miranda studies it, probably looking for a probe or a tracking-device.

"Now, can she ask her questions?" Jacob says, giving me a look somewhere between wonder and mistrust.

"Sure, fire away, just don't expect answers to them all." I say, leaning against a wall with my arms crossed across my chest.

"How do you know me and Jacob?" Miranda asks, glaring at me like a pissed off dog.

"Sorry, classified. Next question?"

"If you knew it was me, why did you even allow me aboard the Normandy in the first place?"

"You mean other than the entertainment value? I was curious to see just what you wanted from the ship, and seeing as your little bugger seemed quite interested in both Shepard's cabin and the ship's computers… I'm guessing it had something to do with the crewmembers we have recently acquired, am I right?"

"Annoyingly so. But yes, it was about the crewmembers. What are you willing to tell me about the new commandoes, as well as the red-head sitting in a sniper's perch up there?" Miranda says, nodding towards Jane's position. I can pick up a long line of swear-words from my ear-phone. Most of them aren't even English.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you about them, but the 'red-head'? She will have to be the one telling you, and I doubt she will do that. But the commandoes?" This is where I need to improvise a bit;

"They are a squad of ex-mercenaries. I do not know what happened to the rest of their group, but they have pledged their service to the Normandy."

"Why do they look like the same person?" Aww fuck, the interview. She must have seen it, or stalked them on shore-leave.

"Well, they were part of a band that only took in people with Maori ancestors. Don't know why."

"So they are not clones?" Miranda asks, giving me a hard, yet curious stare. Eh, better come up with something fast.

"Clones? Of course not. Just because you and O- I mean, no they are not clones." Her eyes flicker when I stop myself from mentioning Oriana. Probably a bad sign.

"What were you going to say before? Something about me and someone with an O as the first letter… speak… now." Her voice has suddenly become several degrees harder. _Oooooh crap…_

"Nothing. Miranda, I may not care for you or Cerberus, but that doesn't mean I have anything against your sister… or that I intend to reveal where she is. Just leave it at that. Other questions?"

"What do you know about the Reapers?" Jacob says, seeing as Miranda for some reason refuses to say a word.

"Ah… I suspect you deserve to know, standing for humanity and all… the Reapers are a race of sentient starships returning to the galaxy every fifty-thousand years. They posses' incredible weapons and shields, and look like giant robotic squids. My guess is that since they wiped out the Protheans fifty-thousand years ago, they are going to return pretty soon. But I bet your boss already knows a bit about them."

"Well… that's certainly unnerving. Are you sure this is true?" Jacob asks, giving me a strange look.

"I wouldn't bother meeting you if I was just going to lie to you. Now, unless there are other questions, I'd say this little meeting is done with, and that we each go our own way. Oh, and I'll hold you to that favor." I say, nodding before I turn to walk away;

"Wait." Jacob calls. Sighing, I turn to face him. Jacob is a cool guy, at least he was in the game, so I decide to give him a chance.

"Yes Jacob?"

"Honestly, how _did_ you know my name?" he asks, a defeated and wondering look in his eyes.

"Like I said: classified. But let's just say that… I know both of you, very well." I smile, turning, walking away and this time, no one calls after me. Though Wrex for some reason can't stop chuckling. Sounds like he really had fun. Still, I'm surprised he pretty much stayed quiet during the entire meeting.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"The way they just stared at you… I swear it was just glorious. I take back what I said earlier: you do have a quad Fisher." He says, slapping my back as we return to the sushi-bar. I press my ear-phone;

"So… got anything good?" I ask Jane.

"Pictures, voice-recordings… facial traits and names. Hell, were you a cop in your former life?" She asks, not being able to contain a small laughter;

"Nope, dockworker… but in some cases, I guess it's pretty much the same thing." I say, hollering at the waiter.

* * *

**Well... that sure as hell didn't happen in the game... I gotta say, I hope this last part was recieved as well as i suspect it will, seeing as I found the idea to be pretty damn fun when I wrote it down. Anyway, I'm in a pretty damn good mood right now, seeing as one of my favorites justp posted chapter 13 in his story "the first war"... Damn that was a good one... the chapter I mean.**

**Anyway, I've decided to let the poll go on to the end of this "book", seeing as I think it's better to let people decide over a longer period of time. Well, see ya ;)**


	26. Noveria - prelude to disaster

**Alright, I know I said that this would be every sunday night, but I have had this one done for more than two days, and having proofread it a few times, I think it's ready for the press... so to speak. **

**As the story progresses, I have realized something. i have written a bunch of stories before, about two or three of them, but this is the first one I've published. Anyway, the revelation is this: **

**The fact that I can keep going, that I can keep writing, is not only due to my will to write it, it is also thanks to you guys. When one is writing only for oneself to read it, it tends to lose its 'fire' of interrest rather quickly, so to speak. But since I have a (small maybe, but) awesome group of readers, followers, favoriters(is that a word?) and reviewers, I have the will and the purpose to keep this up. Long story short: Stick with me, and I will drive this thing all the way to ME3 and beyond. Just saying :)**

**Anyway, let's get on to the next chapter, shall we?**

* * *

Noveria - prelude to disaster

October 6th

Zeus station

19:23

"Sir… we have a problem." Miranda said, looking somewhat embarrassed having to be the one carrying the news, as well as the one this marine had seemingly known just about everything about. She was currently standing a few meters behind him, looking at her feet to avoid his gaze. Something she had never had to do before. The man took a small sip from his glass before looking at the woman's face. He didn't yet know what was wrong, though Leng had mentioned something about an old acquaintance of his apparently being at a meeting he and Miranda had been at with Jacob Taylor as well. Looking at the operative in front of him, he sighed;

"Well, how bad is it?" He asked, voice calm as always when bad news was being presented. The tone of curiosity in his voice came from the fact that Miranda had never been on the list of people delivering him bad news. The woman lifted her eyes from the pristine black tiles of the floor to look her boss in then eyes;

"We… may have a mole in the system sir." She said. The nervous tone crept into her words, almost causing her to stumble over the words. For a few moments, none of them breathed;

"Could you please be a little more specific? What happened on your mission?" He asked, putting the glass back into the holder. Lawson sighed, scratching her chest trying to find something to say;

"I… Sir, you asked me to infiltrate the SSV Normandy. I did so, under the guise of a journalist from the Citadel News Net. There were only a few marines left at the ship while it was docked at the Citadel, so I talked to one of them. It turned out he was actually the same Thomas Fisher who was nearly killed in the explosion in Valern's office. Well, he gave me the green light to get a guided tour on the ship, even asked for an interview. Well, I was shown around, and we reached the mess hall where I went to the… where I snuck away, planted a remote-controlled data-siphon and left the ship again, with the excuse that something big had come up." She said, inhaling deeply for what felt like an eternity.

"Sounds like you had a fine cover. Please, continue."

"Well, the moment I was a good distance from the ship, I activated the drone and sent it on a recon. Apparently, Fisher wasn't as stupid as I gave him credit for. He caught the drone, and… he sat down and talked to it. Sir, he knew my name without even… I don't know how, but all the time he was showing me around, he knew who I was, hell he even knew I work for you. He knew about Jacob, and he hadn't even set foot anywhere near the ship! He even knew about my sister, my fucking sister! Not even Jacob knew about her!" Miranda almost shouted the last part, no longer being able to contain her rage over having been overruled by a simple marine. The Illusive man raised a hand;

"Calm down Miranda. We'll get to the bottom of this. Now, what was this about a meeting?" He said, keeping his calm composure.

"I… when he started talking to the drone, he offered to give it back. But, he said that if I wanted it back, plus the information he would actually _give_ me, he wanted something in return." She said, remembering the heated moment where she had nearly thrown a fit from starring at the insolent young man through the bug's eye;

"I figured… was it money or… or something else?" He couldn't bring himself to ask the last part, knowing full well that there were questions one didn't ask of Lawson, even if one happened to be her superior;

"…No sir. He said he… he wanted a favor from you. From your specifically." She said, not being able to contain the amount of anxiousness in her voice.

"Oh? And what might that favor be?" His curiosity was peeked now, hearing about this apparently all-knowing grunt.

"He didn't say. Just told me that it would also benefit Cerberus in the long run. I tried pressing him for his sources, but he didn't even flinch, just gave me such an insolent smile and told me that it was 'classified'. I swear if I ever see that prick again, I'm going to jam my high heels down his throat." She sneered the last part. Her temper was overtaking her again. Breathing in again, she calmed down, not wanting to lose too much of her cool in front of the man protecting humanity.

"Hmm… I'm going to have some people check on his files, learn everything about him. In the meantime, how about the new crewmembers, those commandoes and the red-haired second commander. What did you learn about them?"

"Well, he wasn't going to talk about the woman… told me I would have to ask her myself, but I did manage to get some Intel on the commandoes. Turns out they were part of a mercenary-group consisting entirely of Maori-soldiers. Or, that was at least what he told me. Do we trust this information sir?"

"No." Came the short answer.

"So… why not?"

"Because you weren't the only one I assigned to those particular people. I also had operative Cross obtain some saliva-samples from them, as well as… other bodily fluids. Suffice to say, we found out some quite interesting facts from three of them. Remember that interview Jilani did with them, asking them if they were evil clones?"

"Yes sir, but I'm not sure if… are you saying that…"

"Yes, their genetic codes are one hundred percent matches, like they are the same person. It would seem like Fisher is covering up for someone who has dabbled in genetic research and human cloning. Could be that's why he knows of your sister. He might have ties to Alexander or Henry." The man said, picking up his glass for another sip before discovering that it was empty. With a fluid motion, he pressed the glass against the small tap inbuilt in his chair, waiting for it to be refilled.

"That son of a bitch! I knew there had to be a reason for him to know what he did, but… if he knew about Ori, then he could know where she is as well."

"Hmm, yes that could become a problem. Well, aside from the favor he demanded, I do think all of this can be turned quite easily. Cross obtained the DNA-samples from the commandoes, Leng has information on the red-head, and you seem to have your connection to Fisher. I think I've got a solution in mind, but you may not like it. Well, part of it." He said, bringing the glass to his lips again, savoring the whisky.

"What is it?" She asked, her tone unusually brisk. Normally she spoke to him with the tone a child would to its teacher, not like this.

"Well, I'll give you free reins to pursue any and all data on Fisher, as long as no bodily harm is done, but that will mean you will no longer be able to oversee 'lethal night' at peak thirteen. It's entirely up to you, but if you decline it, Leng will be put on it. As you may know, his methods of data-obtainment aren't always the most… discreet." A small smirk was playing on his lips, knowing full well that he would be placing his best operative in a dead-lock. On one hand she had never abandoned a project, but on the other hand, her pride demanded answers, and what better way than to go for the source of her headache?

"I… you are not really giving me much of a choice here, are you sir?" She said, fully realizing that putting Leng on the case would most likely end up with someone dead. Something which the Normandy's mission was far too important to risk.

"That's up to you Miranda, though it would be more likely to have success without you on Noveria than investigating Fisher without you. I place my trust in that you can make the right choice."

"Yes sir, I already know what to do." Miranda said and made to leave the room;

"Oh, and do bring me back a souvenir from the Citadel, would you?" He said with a smirk, already knowing what she would choose. He was alone in the room when an incoming call caught his attention.

"Yes, what is it? Professor Nielson, what's… calm down, what's the matter?" He asked, then listening to what the lead-scientist of peak thirteen told him. Halfway through, he cut the man off;

"Professor, get to a safe location, but do not harm the queen, we need her alive for our research to pay off. I'm sending in SpecOps-team to evac you and remaining staff. Just try to make it to the main-hangar, and we can have you- Professor?!" In the time he had been talking, the sound of gunfire had increased in the background to the point where the professor seemingly had had to take part in the shooting before suddenly, signaled with the sound of bodies being broken and ripped apart, it all fell silent. Only a faint whimpering could be heard through the comm.

…

October 7th

Normandy Mess hall

09:21 (ship time)

"I swear, they were _this_ big, and the moaning? Call me a faggot, but it was _magic_!" Sev says, waving his hands through the air as he tells of his latest exploits in one of the more exotic places on the Citadel. Fixer and Boss are sitting next to him, Boss clutching his head while nursing a cup of the tea Nic bought for the crew. It's funny how it's the last people you would expect to enjoy tea.

"I know. We were there, remember?" Fixer butts in. He and Sev seems to have had a fun night while Boss hasn't felt inclined to discuss how he experienced the night. Scorch? I don't know what to make of that guy anymore. He just sits at their table with a mug of coffee, not looking like he had a particularly memorable night.

"Do you two have to retell every bed-side act you performed with that woman in front of half the ship?" He sneers. Okay, something's definitely off here. Scorch has never been pissed, he didn't even sneer when we were aiming guns at each other on Feros.

"What, just because you didn't want in on a four-some with that babe?" Sev says, voice gruff and a bit rude. Just as always.

"I told you, I didn't feel up to doing a five-some with a total stranger. You guys have fun, but it just didn't sit right with me." He says with a bit of anger, where after he returns to his mug.

"Oh, I think I know who you feel up to doing." Sev says, actually sounding a bit tipsy now that I think about it. How the hell can he still be drunk?

"Shut it Oh-Seven, leave the kid alone." Boss says, obviously starting to have had enough of the drunk clone's talking.

"Oh come on, it's as clear as fucking day who he wants to bone." Sev just continues, seemingly unfazed by his squad leader's orders.

"Sev, you're drunk. Shut it." Scorch sneers, now with a red face. Most of the people in the mess hall have turned to follow the conversation between the commandoes. And when I say most, I mean it like everyone not required to be at their posts to keep the ship running at lowest. So we're more than thirty people, humans and aliens alike, watching the events unfold. It's really weird, to be honest, seeing the two normally inseparable pod-brothers at each other's throats. And how come Sev is drunk, I didn't know we allowed alcohol on the ship. Then again, it _is_ a Shepard running this thing, so I guess everything is possible.

"Vode, I'm just telling the truth here. Every time you look at her, it's like your armor gives off a _ping_ when you get a hard-on from those blue ti-" He doesn't get to say anymore before Scorch has gotten up and sent Sev backwards in the chair with a right hook. The scarred commando looks completely dumbfounded, not having expected something like that. All chatter in the entire room just dies down instantly, as all focus is set on the two troopers. I even stop scratching Ash's back as I can't tear my eyes from what's happening before them. _Scorch just hit Sev? What the hell?_

"Sev, I _frakking_ told you, shut UP!" Scorch is standing right in front of him, cheeks red and eyes merely slits. Sev slowly get's up, rubbing his now pretty sore cheek;

"Thirty-eight… did you just hit me?" He says with a menacingly low voice, curling up his fists. Scorch doesn't move an inch;

"Yeah, because you crossed the line Sev." He says. The intensity is so clear you could aim at it with a gun.

"The line? _I_ crossed the _line_? Are you serious, hitting me because I crossed a non-existent line? You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"

"Sit down Sev. You two Scorch. I don't feel like throwing both of you in the brig as the first thing I'm doing today." John says, interrupting what could have very well turned ugly. Sev turns to look at John;

"Sure commander Jedi-sir, it was just a friendly brawl, nothing more." Sev says, looking at John with the kind of loathe only found in the eyes of someone with a certain percentage.

"Good, that includes you as well Scorch. I would like to have a word with you actually. Come with me." John says, beckoning for Scorch to follow him. Looking a bit flustered, Scorch looks around a bit, then follows John out from the room. Silence remains the key-factor for a few moments, until slowly chatter resumes with Boss saying something to Sev. I can't hear what he says, and I have a feeling I'm not supposed to either. So I give up trying to hear it, and instead return to the impatient Ashley, craving for me to resume the back-scratching.

"Well that was random." Nicolai says, joining us while Ash is giving off sounds not too distinct from a happy cat.

"Sev and Scorch? Yeah well, they're adults: let them handle their own problems. At least the two of us still go under the category 'young people'. "

"I guess… by the way, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Does it require me to get up?"

"Sorry Romeo, but yeah, I think it goes under the category 'private'. So, Ashley, you'll have to do without your private masseur for a few minutes."

"Damn you Tengberg, I should have you thrown in the brig for this." Ash mumbles, getting up from her position on my lap, lying on her chest. It looks really immature, like a child on her mother's lap, but I don't think anyone minds it. Not like I would give a flying fuck if they did anyway. Slowly, I help Ash up in a seated position, give her a kiss on the mouth, yes I'm actually comfortable around that type of kiss now, and get up to follow him. When we've reached the place where the elevator opens up, he turns around to face me;

"Listen, I've been thinking, and it's probably nothing, but just hear me out, okay?"

"Sure, fire away." I say, not really feeling comfortable with this sudden change of pace. Not that thinking isn't normally his style, but he usually doesn't get worried unless some real shit is about to go down.

"Okay… both of us, as well as Jane, the clones and probably Tequila got here because we died, right?" He says, obviously finding some distaste in reminding himself of what happened to send him here.

"As far as I know, yeah. Why?"

"Well… what if it's not just us? I mean, hell your own sister apparently re-spawned here too, and she didn't even know about this place."

"You're saying there may be more?" It sounds crazy, but I guess there could be some truth in it.

"I don't know. What if there, right now, were, say two-hundred horny nerds appearing here, and then they would storm the ship to get to either Liara, Ash or Jane, then they would start shouting about how come that people like Delta, Tequila or the two of us were here, or worse, they might try to go nerd-bang on Tali… which would then cause John to kick them to hell, and then they would join Cerberus, since they turn good in two years, and give them all the Intel and… I don't know, I have been laying awake all night." He sighs, massaging his temples.

"Damn, didn't you get any sleep at all?"

"Not… not really, no. I know, it is a stupid way of thinking, but we both got here, and what the hell are the odds for that? No, the probability is too high that something similar could happen. Actually, who's to say it already hasn't, and that people we might know died some years after us and then ended up here, and they would now be hunting the Normandy down to see us again."

"Seriously mate, you need some sleep. You sound like someone on crack."

"Just listen, will you?"

"Fine…"

"Take, I don't know… that dude Magnus for one, the cynical bastard we knew back on Earth? What if he died as well and ended up here. Hell, he would see the interview and come rushing here, then he- you remember he was a Tali-mancer like me? The difference could just be that he wouldn't take the first few 'I'm taken' for a 'no', and things would get fucking embarrassing. And… Dios, I've got nothing… wake me when it's time to make lunch." He says, suddenly turning to march into the elevator and taking it a level down.

I just stand there for a few seconds, trying to process what he just threw at me. I guess, in hindsight it does make some kind of sense, seeing as both me, Anna and Nic ended up here, and many more could have as well… what if Mass Effect is heaven, and when people die, they can go to heaven or this place… but does that mean this is actually the limbo? Damn, my head hurts just going over this. Pinching my nose, I sigh and return to the table, instantly assaulted by a combo of Ash wanting a resumed back-scratcher, and my Omni-tool going off. Sitting down on the row of chairs fashioned into a makeshift couch with a narrow mattress, I let her lean back over me to continue the scratching. Feeling the warm pit in my stomach starting to bubble again, filling me with a happy feeling, I start letting my fingers travel up and down her back, scratching through the soft uniform, occasionally coming across the string to her bra. I can't help but see it inside my mind, what she would look like without the uniform, just clad in her bra and underwear. Smiling, I shake the thought off me, not as much for the moral complications as for the fact that thinking about it tends to give me a boner, something which Ash would be able to feel instantly in her current position. And, I'm not yet sure what she would do in such a situation, how she would react to something like that. Hell, I do remember a lot of movies where the nervous guy had a boner and the girl found out, then they had sex on a tree. Not sure the same thing would happen in real life, probably because I would be pissin' scared, not knowing what the hell I would do…sure, the ol' trust and pull is known to all, but it's more of a mental matter, sort of. I just wouldn't be able to handle it without screwing up on a galactic scale.

Shaking those things from my mind, I decide to check on the message or call my tool received. Opening it, I discover an email waiting for me:

_Hey Bro (can I call you that or does it seem weird?)_

_I have received your plans, including the gunship and let me just say… wow. I mean, this thing… the materials we all have, but the physics implied in this thing, the engines alone are years ahead, capable of FTL without Eezo, and in this size! The techs almost started drooling when they realized it wasn't a joke, seriously, they almost fought each other to get to those schematics. If we can pull this off, manufacture this thing, I'm going to have you promoted, clad in gold, made a statue, anything. I know I may sound like I'm exaggerating, but I'm currently looking at the prospects of these engines being manufactured on a larger scale for System's Alliance ships, make them almost independent of Eezo, and free up lots of stock for other things. This thing will out-match the mantis in no time, and since humanity sits on the plans for it, the other races will have to ask nicely before we let them join in on the big tech-surge. _

_Also, the schematics for this' Marlow'… from what I can see, it can achieve FTL even without Eezo, and this ship is twice the length of the SSV Hong Kong, my own ship. We're going to see about reverse-engineering this thing, outfitting it with shielding and combine it with the best state-of-the-art boom-sticks we have, as well as giving its engines a closer look, to see if we can put the same thing in the rest of the fleets._

_Oh yeah, those guns? I presented the schematics to the cunt-cil, sorry council, and Sparatus was… why did they all seemed so shaken up? He just took the plans the second I mentioned your name, and told me to await instructions as well as Hackett… what have you ben up to that I don't know?_

_Oh right, you asked how I was… Well, I'm fine. My oldest daughter Lisbeth is in the third month, and my youngest Sarah, just graduated from college. With fine marks, I might add. I guess the brightness is strong in this one (yes I know I just made a supposedly non-existent reference to a non-existent movie, will explain later) Myself I've got my work cut out for me, coordinating with Hackett to have the fleets' weapons updated with the Ion-cannon for one. The Proton torpedoes have me curious, if they are better than current plasma-warheads, but I'll let the techs figure that one out. Now you're probably thinking "why hasn't she mentioned her husband?" well, that's because the bugger left me a few years ago, when I was commander of the Perugia. Apparently, he suddenly decided he liked Asari better, and I decided I liked my home better without him. Lit his stuff on fire when he came to collect them, but… that's another story._

_Well, I guess that's it. One of the techs is hollering at me, so ciao!_

_Anna_

_P.S: You better treat Ashley well, or I'm dragging you before a court-marshal. I won't have the family name stained by acts of idiocy or insensitivity._

Smiling, I look at the last bit of the message again, having to reread it a few times to wrap my mind around it. Anna practically just stated that she is fully expecting me to grow old with Ashley. Well, I guess there are worse prospects the family can attempt to force upon you. At least, I think that is what she meant. I just shake my head from the thoughts of over-protective sisters… really old sisters granted, but still a sister.

"I guess she just loves you already…" I sigh, looking down on Ash's soft back. The uniform gives me the impression that I'm scratching some sort of fabric, but the soft yet fit back under the shirt tells me of the warm living body underneath.

"Who?" Ash says, positioning herself better.

"My sister. She ended the letter, and I quote "_You better treat Ashley well, or I'm dragging you before a court-marshal". _She suspects me of being some douche who doesn't have a conscience."

"Nah, that would never happen. If you treated me bad, you'd be dead before she could get here with FTL." Ash chuckles. I can feel her breath and her heartbeat through my thighs. The combination of her warmth, and her shutting off my blood flow through the legs, almost makes it feel like she isn't even there, like she doesn't weigh anything at all.

"Also, it seems the brass liked the blueprints I sent them. Apparently, the geeks were almost fighting each other to get their hands on the gunship." I say, caressing her neck.

"Figures. I bet they are going to blow something to shit with it, then call it a drill or say UFO's did it. The rule just is, they'll never admit to having made a mistake."

"You think so?" I say, rubbing her neck, receiving a small shudder in return.

"Hey, who's the career-soldier here? And do not stop doing that, or I'll have you shot." She says, shivering again from the neck-rubbing. I just smile and chuckle to myself, continuing the massage. Who the hell would have thought I would actually have something to use my so-called 'skills' in massaging for. Granted, I was often told I was good at it, but I always thought that was sort of to make me feel better.

"I guess you are ma'am." I chuckle. Ash has turned her head sideways, giving me a soft smile.

"Damn right I am." She puts on a more stoic attitude, but seems to lose it as I keep rubbing her shoulder-joints.

…

Normandy cargo hold

17:22 (ship time)

"You know, when I joined the Normandy, one of the last things I considered was cleaning my own guns. Don't get me wrong, it's a good exercise, but I didn't think futuristic weapons needed to be kept in the same way as guns from my age. Does that sound weird?"

"A little, yeah. But you don't want a dirty gun when you go to a gunfight. That'd be real stupid." Wrex says, continuing to rub synthetic grease into his shotgun.

"I know, that was the rule back then as well… by the way Wrex, that thing Ash was working on, that I wasn't allowed to see…do you know why that was?"

"Hell if I know, something called a 'born-day' or 'birthday'… not sure which one it was, but apparently you couldn't see what it was… is that something humans do?"

"Yeah, it's kinda tradition to keep it a surprise. I think… wait, was Ash down here making me a present?"

"If that's what it's called, then yeah, I think so. So Humans celebrate the day they were born or what?" Wrex asks, cocking his shotgun with a tossing movement, checking the fluidity of the motion, I can't help but think he's been in the mercenary-business even longer than I used to think.

"Yeah, it's called a birthday, and then there's usually cake and drinks and presents and all sorts of good things."

"Like sex?" Wrex asks, doing a few tossing movements with the gun before picking up a cloth to start wiping the leftover grease from the barrels. I nearly choke, despite not drinking anything.

"Wha- I… well, mostly in America I think. I… why do you even ask, do you plan on doing someone at my birthday?"

"Maybe… or maybe I'm just curious to see if anyone else gets it on. Especially if we're at the Citadel or Illium in the meantime."

"I… I've got nothing. Would you like to hear about other human traditions?" I say, desperate to change the subject before he asks me if-

"Actually I would rather know when you think you'll bang the Chief." I nearly fall over myself, not knowing if I can even breathe without doing something I'm going to regret;

"Ju- just why do you ask that?" I manage to get out.

"Heh, kid I've been around for more than five hundred years, been a mercenary for more than three hundred. I pick up things, things most wouldn't, but in your case? You could just as well walk around with a big sign saying 'I wanna bang Williams'. Your pheromones are all over the place when near her."

"Damn… I… didn't think it was…"

"That obvious? Yeah… it is. Makes me wonder if she feels the same way and is just waiting for you to take the initiative. So, when do you plan on doing it?" Fuck… there's really no better word here. Wrex has me in a corner. My head, the cheeks and ears in particular are heating up, but not in the pleasant way.

"I…I…I…fuck, that's not something you ask a guy, Wrex!"

"Why not?"

"I… you just don't, it's not normal."

"Maybe not for humans, but when there's more than five different species on this ship, the definition of 'normal' doesn't really hold."

"Well, I'd prefer to keep that to myself." I mumble, not willing to get the volume to high. Wrex just gives me one look, before bursting into laughter;

"Holy shit, you're virgin! That's why you're so nervous, aint it?"

"Yes, thank you for informing the entire ship Wrex. Can we please go back to talking about traditions now?"

"Sure, what else is there?" Wrex asks, seemingly completely unfazed by the awkwardness of the situation.

"Well… there's Christmas, a Christian event where you give presents, dance around a tree and eat a lot of good food."

"So… it's basically like a- Whaaat? Dance around a tree? Are you touched in the head or something?"

"No, that's how we do. Dance around a pine and sing songs. Then we open presents and eat more food. Actually, I think you would make a good Santa." I say, then remembering just who I'm talking to.

"What's a Santa?" Wrex asks with suspicion in his voice. I'm going to regret this.

"Well… it's a big fat guy in red clothes with a white beard bringing children presents." I can't help but take a few steps backwards from his stare. Then, he just starts laughing;

"Hah! Hah that would be the day when I kiss a Salarian, or when I make friends with Councilor Sparatus. Yeah, not gonna happen." He says, shaking his head. Okay, he's not going to attack me due to an insolent comment… that's a bit surprising, to be honest.

"You sure? There's just two months to Christmas, and it would make you a nice boy to play Santa." I don't know why I'm pushing it like I am, especially since this is Wrex, the Thresher-killer, the big badass. But I guess meeting him in person did give me a different perspective.

"Careful Fisher. I may respect you, since you made those Cerberus people look stupid as hell, but try and drag me in a human costume like that, and Williams will find your entrails all over the ship." He growls.

"Fair enough… it was worth a shot." I say, returning to practicing the disassembling of my gun. The Lancer is a bit more difficult to work on, seeing as it's got a lot more parts, and it is bigger than the Raikou-pistol.

When we returned from the Citadel yesterday, I found an oddly new and shiny rifle in my locker, with no trace of the old one. Asking Garrus what it was, since it looked a lot like my old one, he told me that it was a Lancer-IV, and that it was pretty much better all around than my old one. Also, this one is red. And a lot lighter, while still feeling like it's got more kick to it. Pulling back the bolt on the side, I aim the empty gun down the wall, checking the sights. _Perfectly set… damn, this could actually turn out pretty well._

Pressing the bolt down, I turn a small disk, resulting in the top-most part of the gun coming apart, allowing me to unscrew the barrel. _And here I am, cleaning guns on the Normandy… not sure if that sounds incredibly cool, or incredibly dull, but I think it holds its own charm. If anything, like Wrex said, a clean gun will help keep me alive._

…

October 8th

Normandy Meeting Room

08:15 (Ship time)

"Alright people, word just came in. We've lost all contact with the STG-team stationed on Noveria, which in itself is pretty disturbing, but I'm afraid there's some serious shit coming our way" John says, strolling inside the room as the last arrival, Jane having already made sure we are seated.

"What do we know Shepard?" Jane asks, giving him a small frown, still not fully accustomed to be on the receiving end of a briefing on the Normandy. John turns to face her;

"So far we don't know as much as we'd like to. They were undercover to check on Matriarch Benezia when they started reporting signs of… we don't really know what, but they described horrors descending upon the researchers in peak thirteen, then there were reports of contamination-threats, and before they could investigate… the threat came to them. Within two hours, the team disappeared from our scanners, and the facility on peak fifteen was deemed lost. A few days later, there were reports of workers disappearing from the docks, and now… well, Padok Wiks sent out a distress-call yesterday, and… just listen to it, will you?" John says, activating the comm. in the room:

"_This is Padok Wiks of the Salarian STG! We've suffered heavy casualties from unidentified hostiles. I repeat un-identified hostiles! They are not slavers; I repeat they are not- watch out, another one!" _The screaming in the background, combined with a long series of gunshots betrays the fact that a major conflict is ongoing, as if the horrified voice of the Salarian wasn't enough. The most chilling thing though, is the screams in the background. Saying that they are inhuman would be an understatement. The only thing I can remember sounding anything like that…_No, no I'm not going through that hell again._

"_Hostiles are animals, I repeat animals! They employ pack-like tactics, and they don't seem to care for their own dead. We are firing rounds faster than the guns can cool down, and we've been cut off from the ships still in the spaceport. We are down to less than thirty people, and only a few guns. I can't keep protecting them, we need- AARARGGG, GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF-"_ The transmission just ends after that, leaving us to listen to a long moment of statics;

"As you can hear, Noveria is no longer stable, and it is likely that our mission to find Benezia… no offense Liara, will be postponed in order to secure the facility on and at the spaceport. We do not know what enemies or animals we are facing exactly, but-"

"Bugs." Tequila just states, cutting John off in the middle of his sentence. We all fall quiet and turn to look at the Corporal, even Nic is looking scared as shit. And he hasn't even fought the fuckers. Tequila looks very small, like she just wants to disappear into her seat. Nihlus, Jane and John turn to face her fully;

"You mean… like the things we encountered on Therum?" Jane asks, probably remembering her first encounter with the xenos.

"I doubt it. On Therum there were hardly any living beings but krogan mercenaries and the other archeologists. Here? What is Noveria, if not a giant lunch-box for those creatures?" Tequila says, earning a few gulps and a hard stare from Nihlus;

"Well Corporal, you are sort of our expert on these things. From a place with about five-hundred workers and guards, what's the worst we can expect?" He says, putting a talon under his 'chin'.

"At the very least five hundred bugs. If there are more around, then… I don't know. The last time a case like this happened, it… it turned bad." She says, looking at her knees.

"Yeah, I know. 'Hadley's Hope' right?" I say, remembering the old movie. It's the same universe, so logic dictates that it should have happened as well. Besides, I seem to remember her mentioning something about 'this going worse than the Acheron-drop' somewhere in the game. When I look back at Tequila, I notice how pale she has become. It looks like the very mention of that place made the blood disappear from her face;

"Tequila? You… was it something I said?" I ask, frowning.

"Don't… please don't mention that place again." She whispers. Her hands are shaking, and her jaw is clenched.

"What, Hadley's Ho- I mean… sorry, but… is it some kind of taboo in the corps?" I ask, giving her an apologizing nod.

"No it's… my sister died there. Just don't mention it again, okay?" She says, opening and closing her fists.

"Crap… sorry, I didn't mean to stir up some bad memories… but how did they even spread? I mean, we sealed them inside a fucking steel-vault. A raging Krogan couldn't get through that thing." I say, but Nihlus seems to be more interested in other things.

"Corporal, we need all the Intel we can get on how to effectively fight these things. Do you have any cam-records of the encounters you've had with these things?"

"No. I lost it all when the gunship crashed, Sir." She says, folding her hands across her knees, looking down. Nihlus doesn't seem to be deterred though.

"I see. Then there is another way. We have onboard a set of neural-extraction modules. If we can hook you up to one, we can extract your past experience with these things, hopefully without you suffering from any negative side-effects." Nihlus says, calm as day.

"Kryik, that's still on the experimental stage. If she is affected by it, we could lose our only expert on these things." John says, facing Nihlus.

"I know that. But it's either that, or head in blind. We don't have any other way of fully comprehending the threat these things pose. It's not as if we can just slap in a disk and watch your memories like a movie, and we don't have any other sources." Nihlus says, turning from John to Tequila.

"I think I know a way. Do we have a DVD-player on board?" Nic suddenly says, drawing the gazes of everyone in the room.

…

"You can't be serious. Should on old human sci-fi movie be solid Intel?" Nihlus asks in disbelief, watching as Ash and Nic are looking up James' Cameron's old 'Aliens' from the extra-net. Turns out that pirating movies isn't one bid harder now than it used to be. Hell, even I can do it now.

"Why the hell not?" He asks, giving the Turian a long stare that almost borders to indifference. I'm guessing that Nic never really got that much respect for Nihlus. Probably after what he witnessed Nihlus' spare time events, particularly the Turian version of a romance-movie. Hell, I still remember the cowering form of Nicolai whispering that Nihlus was watching a make-out scene. Damn, and I thought he had seen a dark version of SAW or something.

"Because it's just fiction. It's not as if your movie is a perfect description of these creatures and… by the way, what movies _is_ it?"

"Nihlus, I've learned lately, that the term 'fiction' doesn't quite mean that something doesn't exist. Besides, this movie will give you some perspective."

"What kind?"

"The kind that shows you what happens when an entire battle-group of marines are fighting these things." Nic says, opening the file with the movie in question, launching the menu. Pressing start, Ash projects it to the big screen, and gestures for the rest of us to sit down.

…

"You always were an asshole Gorman!"

Vasquez cries as she huddles up to him in the shaft, pressing down the button on the grenade. The scene shifts to Ripley and Hicks, crawling through the ventilation shaft along with Newt. A huge fireball chases them from behind as the grenade detonates, killing Vasquez and Gorman, along with any aliens pursuing them. Stealing a glance to my left, I notice that Tequila is no longer in her seat, or the room for that matter. Nic notices my glance and nods at the door. Apparently Tequila left the room somewhere after the point where Ripley ordered the doors sealed. I wonder why she couldn't take watching the rest of the movie. PTSD maybe? Next to Nicolai, Garrus and Nihlus sit, both of them rather struck by what's going on on the screen. I have to admit: the re-mastered edition turns up the horror-level to an insane degree. The fact that it's all automated 3D doesn't help. I have seen this thing a few times before, and I'm still rather spooked by it. All the blood, the gore… none of this was in the original movie. Talos, this makes SAW look like Whinny the Pooh for real this time. Slowly, Nic gets up as well, walking out the door to the CIC. Guess he couldn't take anymore either.

When the alien suddenly bursts into the elevator, Nihlus almost falls from his chair as the acid is showering over the marine.

_Mara… and this is just the movie._

…

Illium

October 7th

22:11 (Nos Astra time)

Dry Dock D-47

"Gah! I swear if this piece of shit plate won't stay in place, I'm going to lose it!" Magnus yelled, tossing his goggles to the floor where they hit with a resounding _clank_. Looking up from her work on the makeshift turret, Tara observed how Magnus sweared and cursed over the same plate he had had troubles with for the past week or so.

"Still the plating?"

"Yeah, I don't believe this shit! I had no trouble fitting the graphene-glass for the cockpit, and even the engines were easy enough to repair. This… this fucking plate just keeps sliding out of place, like it's fucking alive, and wants me to lose my cool… if I had any that is." He growled the last bit, giving the plate the finger. Tara sighed;

"Magnus, you've been up for more than twenty hours. If you refuse to go sleep, at least try taking a break. There's a bar nearby where they let you watch the TV, even if you haven't bought anything. Just… go and relax for a few minutes or so, okay? It's going to be a while before I've calibrated the rotation-device for this thing anyway, and I still need the extra plating, the remote controlled grips and the wireless firing-sequences. Please, just go take a break. Even better: take a nap."

"But you've been up for twenty hours too. You need sleep as well." He retorted, slowly getting down from the ladder. The Quarian shook her head;

"Not as much. On Rannoch the days were thirty-six hours long, and we've kept that time-scale on the fleet. So, I'm good to continue."

"Fine… but just holler or something if you need me, okay?"

"I will, now go!" she almost shouted, getting a little irritated over his lack of self-preservation. Putting his hands up in defense, the man left the room, leaving the Quarian alone with her thoughts. _'Holler if I need you'? Oh, if only you… you have no idea how much I need you…_ she thought, almost falling into a trancelike state before resuming her work.

…

Illium

Dek'har's Sportsbar

22:15 (Nos Astra time)

Leaning back in the cheap, yet soft chair, Magnus felt his eyelids grow heavy. Almost too heavy.

"_And in other news. The Citadel Council has yet again refused to explain why they are massing ground-troops on the Presidium, claiming that it is simply in preparation for a military parade. That would then be the first parade ever held on the Citadel, and witnesses report sightings of vehicle-grade heavy weapons and machine-cannons being brought up for display. Humanity's ambassador had no comments to make on the current situation, although he stated that difficult times may lie ahead. Samantha, are they suspecting an attack on the Citadel?" _The News speaker-woman said, turning to her colleague, a brunette with long curls;

"_That's unknown Susan, although you are right: this doesn't look like a normal parade to me either. We have yet to… hold on a second. Susan, this just came in: Noveria officials have sent out a distress signal, calling for help from any nearby warships and soldiers. They are apparently experiencing a… slaver attack? No? then… what, don't tell me… okay but are you sure that… Dear Lord…" _Magnus's eyelids had been flung open once again by the mentioning of Noveria, the last mission he was on with Jane before the incident. But there hadn't been any kind of attack on the main port, and not in a scale that had them signal for help. He decided to pay better attention;

"_What is it? we're not on your speakers Samantha." _The first woman said.

"_It… appears they are experiencing something they call an infestation, from animals…"_

"_Why would that warrant a distress-signal?" _ The other woman asked, now clearly as curious as the viewers.

"_Did you get that?... hello? Hello?"_ Something was wrong, and it was clearly shown on the woman's face. A look of dread had settled over her, quickly passing, but it had been there.

"_I… we seem to have lost connection to our on-planet source on Noveria… I… think it would be best if younger viewers were escorted out of the room before I continue…"_ She waited a few moments before resuming;

"_Alright… we've got an audio-file. As a matter of fact, it's my source right before he was cut off. I'll roll it now"_ She said, and a audible static was heard at first, which was also when Magnus realized that every single pair of eyes were glued to the screen.

"_This is Padok Wiks of the Salarian STG! We've suffered heavy casualties from unidentified hostiles. I repeat un-identified hostiles! They are not slavers, I repeat; they are not- watch out, another one!" _The sound of repeated gunfire filled the room before the voice returned, accompanied by the screams of some kind of creature somewhere in the background. A screaming that for some reason caused the blood to freeze in his veins;

"_Hostiles are animals, I repeat animals! They employ pack-like tactics, and they don't seem to care for their own dead. We are firing rounds faster than the guns can cool down, and we've been cut off from the ships still in the spaceport. We are down to less than thirty people, and only a few guns. I can't keep protecting them, we need- AARARGGG, GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF-"_ Static just filled the air after that, leaving the viewers, as well as the studio, in total silence.

"What… the …. Fuck?" A human next to Magnus exclaimed, having been one of the many glued to the screen as the audio-file played. Magnus slowly looked away from the screen with the first news-woman slowly reaching for a glass of water, only to drop it when her hands shake too much to hold it.

"That's one way to describe it… fjandinn, what just happened?" Magnus mumbled, just loud enough for the guy next to him to hear.

"Hell if I know, but I'm cancelling my stay on Noveria now. If the STG can be taken down, then these _animals_, or whatever the hell they are, they are not your average Varren." The man responded, giving Magnus a short stare.

"Hey, I recognize you: the crazy who tried jumping from the towers. Seems like you got better already. You okay?" The man said, now fully spun in order to face Magnus. Magnus could feel a chill creeping up his spine, being reminded of his close call with a one-way ticket to the surface of Illium.

"I'm fine, really. I just had a momentary case of depression, coupled with some PTSD. I guess it just sort of snapped for some reason." Magnus was only telling a half lie. He had been diagnosed with Post traumatic stress disorder back a few years after joining the Alliance Navy.

"Damn… if you don't mind me asking… that Quarian who barged in while we were restraining you… sorry for the punch by the way… but, who is she? I don't think I've seen any human/quarian couples like you two before…" His question almost made Magnus forget about the Noveria affair, which already seemed like old news to most of the people in the bar. Chatting had returned to a normal level, with subjects such as fashion, girls and jobs.

"Oh, we're not- I mean, I'm not with- we're just friends." He said, feeling his face heat up. The man gave a short confused stare, then there was a glint of sadness in his eyes.

"Ah… well I just assumed that- since, you know I couldn't get anything out of you, having fainted and all, so I looked at her and… let me just start over, that way it'll be less confusing." He said outstretching his hand;

"Yeoman Conrad Chambers, though people call me Chuck, for short." He said, smile growing a bit as Magnus hesitantly took the hand;

"Eh… Magnus… Magnus Olafur… wait, a yeoman? Like a shrink?" He asked, mentally scratching his head in frustration, not remembering just what a yeoman was.

"Hah, no not exactly, though the two share some roles. I am a sort of 'shrink' working on ships, more specifically the SSV Los Angeles, a neat frigate stationed here for the week. My job consist in monitoring the mental health of the crew on the ship, no small task with more than three hundred crewmembers on board."

"So… you make sure the crews mental health is sound? Funny, how we didn't have that." He thought out loud, forgetting the fact that such words were careless to say out loud.

"Hm? Where did you serve?"

"The… Hong Kong." He said, reciting the first ship name that sprung to mind.

"The Hong Kong? Admiral Anna Fisher's dreadnaught? That's one hell of a ship, why did you leave?"

"Personal reasons. I left the Alliance altogether when an incident cost me the woman of my life." Magnus had some difficulty keeping the pain from mixing up with his otherwise casual voice.

"Damn, sorry about that. Then I guess you and that Quarian aren't… you know?" The Conrad said, obviously trying to change the subject.

"A thing? No, I wouldn't say that. I don't really think she has any interest in me either. I tend to attract species with my own type of DNA…" He said, giving a soft chuckle.

"I don't know about that one. When you collapsed, there was something in her stance, in the way she handled you… it might just be me, being used to evaluate humans and all… evaluating aliens always was my sisters job… anyway, if she had been human, this Quarian…"

"Tara?"

"Yeah, if Tara had been a human woman, I would be 99 on that she had it on for you. But I guess Quarians' body-language means something else. "Conrad said, waving a waiter over, ordering two beers. Magnus was wondering why he would order two for himself when the waiter came back, and Conrad promptly handed him one of the plastic-glasses, shaped like a big pint made from glass. With a nervous 'thank you', and a hesitant motion, he took a small sip from the glass, instantly feeling the old feeling of relief as the cold beverage filled his mouth before he swallowed. Not having had a beer in almost a month, he relished the taste and the familiar feeling as the alcohol started being distributed into his blood. Returning a smile from Conrad, Magnus sighed. It was a sigh of happy relief for the first time in a week.

…

Padok Wiks looked out through the make-shift barricade, looking for signs of the creatures. They had been silent for almost five hours, and the screaming had stopped some time ago. Tentatively touching his now missing left horn, he grimaced at the pain, but was grateful that he hadn't lost more that when the creature had tried ripping off his head. Returning to his post behind the turned-over desk, he looked around him in the hallway, looking to each of the sealed off air-vents. They had early on learned that these creatures, which one of the humans wouldn't stop referring to as Xenos, liked using the air-vents to move around. Blocking off the vents had removed that problem, though he doubted it would be long before they found another way in. Heavy footsteps behind him alerted him to another's presence;

"Anything out there?" The heavy voice of a Krogan said. Looking behind him, Padok recognized and greeted the form of Gatatog Inamorda, the last surviving krogan on Noveria, as far as Wiks was concerned. It had turned out that even the might of a krogan, the supposedly strongest race in the galaxy, hadn't been enough to effectively hold off the alien creatures.

"No, it's silent. I don't know if I'm supposed to say that it's too silent, or just be thankful that the screaming has stopped." The Salarian said, shaking his head.

"I think I'll prefer the second option. The screams were starting to make the other snap. What the hell are those things anyway?" The Krogan asked, leaning against the desk, causing it to creak under the strain.

"Your guess is as good as mine. As far as I know, they came from peak thirteen. I guess an experiment went wrong, as these things aren't native to Noveria. But damn if they aren't behaving as if they own the planet."

"You know… if we die here, I guess I can add another thing to my list of 'I never thought I would get to do this'. "

"What? Killed by horrific alien creatures?" Padok asked, allowing himself a weak smile, despite the situation.

"Nah, go down alongside a Salarian." Inamorda responded with a rough chuckle. Looking at the krogan, Padok caught himself remembering the human phrase '_the worst situations bring people together'_ He could only agree to that. A Krogan and a member of the STG working together, having each other's backs. That would be next to impossible to achieve otherwise.

"I'll take that as a compliment." The Salarian said, examining his Scimitar-shotgun. The thing had seen more use in the past two days than the rest of his career had given it.

"Yeah well, don't grow all soft on me now Frog-boy. I still don't like you." The Krogan said, not letting the hopelessness of the situation impact on his harsh sense of humor. '_Might as well go down smiling_' was his motto. Though he had always thought it would mean being shot and then bleed out smiling. Not being impaled by a sharp tail and eaten by bug-like creatures while smiling. Still, he supposed he could find worse ways to die. Old age was one of them.

"I know, but at least you won't try to-" Padok started, but stopped abruptly when the long line of shining white lights were suddenly shortened out, and after a few seconds, replaced with the ill-boding red lights.

"The hell?" Inamorda cursed, looking at the red light bulbs.

"Go check on the others. Make sure they don't panic, and try raising their morale… I fear we'll need it soon." The Salarian said. The Krogan nodded solemnly and trudged back towards the area where the rest of the group, counting twenty-two people were staying, secured behind massive steel-doors to one side, and the barricade to the other. Watching the krogan walk away, Wiks looked back at the barricade. To think that, only two days ago, there had been more than five-hundred people in the spaceport. Now, he didn't know if he could save any of them.

…

"Wait, we're supposed to be fighting _that_?" Scorch exclaims, getting up from his seat. The movie is over, and for a short time we contemplated putting on the rest of them, but seeing as the most relevant info was on 'Aliens', Nic decided not to. Thank Mara for that too, I don't know if my stomach could take more of this. Seriously, it is completely different from the original movies; it was like watching a new version of SAW, only much worse.

"Yeah, it doesn't really leave a lot of room for optimism, does it?" Jane says, pinching the bridge of her nose. She has some experience fighting xenos, just like John, Tali, Garrus, Tequila and me. It really puts things in perspective, for once knowing what you are walking into. So far it's been one surprise after another. There were bugs on Therum, there were zombies on Feros, and there are probably even worse things elsewhere. This time though, we know what we're walking into. More or less. Thinking about it, Ripley knew it was bugs as well, or at the very least she suspected it. And they were still torn to shreds.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight five-fucking-hundred of those things? There were less than two-hundred in the movie, and there were more marines than we are." Sev butts in, glaring at Jane as if she somehow holds the answer to that.

"What the hell do you think I spent our last stay on the Citadel on, playing guardian angel?" She says, shooting me a brief look. I don't think anyone else knows about the exchange yet, and that's one secret I would prefer to remain a secret.

"Well, what did you spend time on the Citadel with, now that you bring it up?" John asks her, stepping closer. Jane looks at him, and I would almost say that she is smiling, but in this situation, I guess I'm looking for smiles everywhere. I mean, even Wrex looks pretty nervous, and he's a fucking Krogan. If he is nervous, how can Jane be smiling? No, it must me something I'm just whishing for, and my brain is conjuring up the imagination.

"I take it none of you even bothered checking out those crates I had brought here during shore leave?" Jane says with a small, yet audible sigh. Now that she mentions it, I think there were some crates labeled Elkoss-something down in the shack, but I guess I didn't really pay them much attention.

"Not really, no… but I assume you are going to tell us about them?" John says. Jane just beckons for us to follow, and due to some un-spoken agreement, we all follow her down to the cargo hold. Except for Nic and Tequila. They are nowhere to be seen.

Watching as Kaidan and Jane haul out some crates large enough to each hold a small car, I notice the looks of bewilderment in the eyes of my fellow team. I probably look the same right now, not having the faintest clue as to what's going on. We were only on the Citadel for about one and a half day, how could Jane have had time to get this? And more importantly, _what_ is this? That's also when I notice that there are fourteen containers, oddly enough one for each of us. I wonder if it's a new type of gun, or if she has been shopping for armor… but how the hell could she afford something like that anyway? Noticing our stares, Kaidan's included, Jane gestures at the crates;

"Well come on, open them. I am pretty sure there's one for each, just don't mix up the human and Turian types." She says, walking over to the closest of the crates, a big grey and red one, and starts opening the lid. Following her example, we all move to one of the crates to see for ourselves. Unclasping the lid on my crate, I gently lift it off, uncovering a large mass of foam-balls, meant for protecting the contents of the crate. Rummaging through the white stuff, my hands suddenly hit something hard and metallic. Tearing the isolative material away, I gasp. There' really no other way to describe the sound coming from my mouth, but a silent scream of joy and surprise might work as well. From what I can hear, that reaction is pretty common right now.

"Holy Hell Jane! Where the fuck did you get this?!" I almost shout, though I manage to keep it to a speaking volume as I gaze upon what most would call 'Christmas comes early'.

* * *

**This is where I let you guys guess just what Jane has gotten the crew, and more importantly, how she managed it. Well, I'm not telling ;)**

**Alright, how was that for a prelude to a mother-F'in disaster? Noveria, and more specifically Port Hanshan seems to be in a deep-shit situation, as some old "friends" has made their appearance on the coorporative ball of ice. Figured it was time to bring those guys back, seeing as this _is_ a crossover. **

**As I said, it was really my intention to publish this chapter tomorrow night, but as the popular saying on the internet goes; "Fuck the police!"**

**...well, sort of. Actually it's more of a "fuck the rules", but... mnaah, it just sounded funnier to me. **


	27. Noveria - Charged and Locked

**Alright guys, back already Didn't expect that, did you? :)**

**Well, I recieved a bunch of positive reviews on the latest chapter, and as usual, they were just heart-warming. Especially a couple of special people who really seem to enjoy what I'm doing here. Their reviews are really paart of what keeps me going :)**

**Also, I'm posting this one now because, as silly as it might sound, one of my readers said that the only complaint he had was that I didn't write fast enough. So, here's to prove you wrong my friend ;D**

* * *

Noveria - Charged and Locked

October 9th

Arcturus System

Arcturus Space Station

Dry-Dock overview room C-2

17:42 (Actual Station time)

Fleet Admiral Anna Fisher looked out her window from the overview room of the space-station. It had been two days since she wrote her last message to her brother, and she had yet to receive a reply. Considering the news, she would actually have been surprised if her 'big' brother would have had the time to reply, seeing as the Normandy was reported heading towards Noveria, and more specifically port Hanshan, the major corporate facility on the planet, and also the one connected to most of the more dubious research-facilities. Other than the Normandy, the Council had sent another frigate, the _TSF Centurion_. From what Anna knew, it was under the command of Captain Decarissa Feltan, an officer of the kind you would expect to find in the Hierarchy: Stubborn, strong and tactical. Also with the individual thinking of a human. This placed her above the standard officer in her own right. Anna had met her once on duty, during a counter-raid on a Batarian colony to liberate a mass of slaves before they were sold off and disappeared from the radar. Anna could still remember the surprise she had felt when meeting the Turian woman, a feat in itself, seeing as most Turians in the higher positions were men, even if the women were trained on the same terms. She could also fondly remembered how they had met under less than ideal terms, solving a brawl between a human and a Turian marine, having to shout both of them down. Anna couldn't remember what had caused the fight to begin with, though she guessed it was the same kind of anti-Semitism still evident in both races since the First Contact War. After that there had been a short time of mistrust between the two races onboard, but she and Decarissa had solved that quite simply. A sparring match. To be accurate, it had been a match between herself and her Turian counter-part.

"_Sprits, you just don't know when to quit, do you?"_

"_Like I said, humans are like Turians trying to duck: we don't know how." She had said, sending her opponent backwards with a punch to the upper chest._

"_Damn… just admit it, you're getting tired." The Turian recon-sergeant had said, rubbing the place where the fist had impacted. Anna, being a Master Sergeant at the time, had just smirked at the comment;_

"_Not as tired as you Feltan. Your dad may have been some kick-ass admiral back then, but you just can't handle me-"a curled fist, consisting of three talons had cut her short as she received a rather nasty cut on the cheek._

"_I'm sorry, did you say something?" The Turian had growled, determination burning in her eyes. _

"_Nah, I was just thinking how you can even hold-" She said, swinging at the Turian; "- a fork or a pencil with only three fingers. Evolution sure screwed your kind over, huh?" The fist had hit Decarissa right under her jaw, knocking her on the floor for the third time. Seeing as the Turian attempted to get up, but seemingly hadn't had the strength to do so, the referee had deemed Anna the winner. Though when people, both human and alien had expected Anna to either deliver a final kick to her defeated opponent, or simply leave the stage, she had surprised them both by bowing down, helping Decarissa on her feet again. One of the mandibles had been turned at a wrong angle, and looked as if it hurt like hell. _

"_Good match. Feeling up for a new one?" the Turian had asked, seemingly ignoring the medic trying to tend to the obviously dislodged piece of facial bone. Anna had been taken aback by the cockiness in her voice, having expected her to say something like 'you only won because this and that'. To say she had been impressed would be an understatement._

"_No thank you… but I wouldn't mind your company in the cafeteria." She had said with a smile. One the Turian had, if a bit surprised, returned. _

"God… how long has it been… ten years? Fifteen?" She said to no one in particular, trying to figure out if she had missed their annual meet-up-and-kick-ass day. The two of them had shared extranet addresses after that day, and had been seeing each other every year since that day, occasionally getting in a few scrapes that could only be solved with fists or talons… and the occasional use of a bar chair. Anna still walked with a slight pain from the injury she had sustained while tossing a bar chair made from caste-steel at a Batarian thug and his group, thinking two women to be weak and easy targets. Their attempt had ended with them being left unconscious in a back alley, six blue eyes and a pair of broken limbs. After that, they had gone out drinking. Smiling at the 'happy' memories, Anna turned her attention back to the console next to her, and while absentmindedly looking at the construction taking place in the dry-docks, she pulled out the large schematics for the prototype dreadnaught she had designed. Actually, it was part human, part Volus design, as she had been given access to the designs of the broadside guns for the new ship by the little folk, in return for a renewed trade-contract and the schematics for the engines on the gunships. That was another thing her sharp mind allowed her to do: ensuring the economy of her own projects, in her own way. In the end, she had ripped of the volus, given them soon-to-be public data, while receiving money and ingenious designs. Thinking about how the Volus would react when the Alliance still sold the schematics to the rest of the galaxy, she couldn't quite contain a chuckle, but stiffened her behavior when another person stepped up to the window next to her, hands at his back;

"How's the construction going Anna?" The old man said. There weren't a lot of her colleagues she allowed calling her by her first name…

"As well as one could expect Steve… it's cutting edge we're working on here…" …But the old admiral was one of them.

"I am still a little confused as to how you actually obtained these blueprints… most of this isn't even invented yet, and the rest… if it were anyone but you, I would have called the person out on the bullshit, but…"

"Yeah, I get that. Let's just say I got them from a close source." She said, a cheeky smile etched on her lips caused a few of her wrinkles to turn upwards as well. Hackett just shook his head;

"Anna, do we have to play these games _every_ time you get your hands on something first?" Hackett said, holding a cup of soda to his lips, enjoying the prickling feeling he got from the carbon dioxide in the sweet liquid.

"Afraid so uncle." She said with a teasing tone to her words. Hackett was her mother's brother, and as such he had been one of those helping her through her childhood, lost in a new world. He was also the only one beside Thomas who knew of her real past. Thinking about it, maybe she had been a little hypocritical back at the meeting with Thomas, seeing as Hackett had known about her past for more than fifty-five years.

"I swear, it's like listening to a child-version of you, all over again…" He said, sighing. She had always been like this, although it had become more evident the older she got. Sometimes, he asked himself if she would ever actually be able to find a man worth her time. There sure as hell hadn't been one so far.

"Yeah well, what' ya gonna do?"

"I would still like to know where you have those schematics from, seeing as even the Salarians haven't invented a weaponized version of ion-technology yet." He said, changing to a more officer-like voice.

"As I said, a close source. Really close in fact." She said, remembering the fateful meeting between her and Thomas, seeing the shock in his eyes, how he had studied her name-tag, then looked her straight in the eyes. It was hard to say that she felt a real bond with him yet, having only met him once, but family would be family.

"Elaborate a bit please, I haven't had my pills yet, and quite frankly, I'm not in the best of moods. You may have heard that port Hanshan has dropped out of contact…"

"Yeah, I have… that also brings me to answer your question. The Normandy, the ship commandeered by John'Shepard… you know, the Quarian?"

"Yes, I know who he is. I met him on Akuze a few years back." Hackett said, remembering the scene he had been greeted by upon arrival to the planet, seeing what had looked like big fingers reaching up from the sand, dragging down the shuttles, killing fifty Alliance Marines.

"Well, on that ship… remember my side-job a week or so back, the decoration of a soldier who distinguished himself on Feros?"

"Now that you mention it… his last name… it was…" Hackett said, eyes starting to widen in realization as it hit him. Anna beat him to the punch though;

"No, I don't have a son or nephew you've never met, if that's what you're thinking Steve. Thomas Fisher, the corporal in mention… he's my brother." Anna said, a slight hesitation in her voice. Upon hearing the last words, Hackett inhaled sharply, causing him to drag down a bit of the drink. He ended up coughing and hacking, trying to get air past his irritated air pipe. After a few minutes, and harshly returning the stares of quite a few ensigns in the other end of the room, he finally got his posture back, looking his niece in the eye;

"You need to repeat that one… it sounded like you called a maximum twenty-five year old marine for… your brother? I really hope that's your idea of a bad joke."

"Yuop, always said I had a crazy family, and I am always right." She said with a tired voice, looking out the window. This was mainly to avoid the surely burning stare of Admiral Stephen Hackett.

"I'm… not really sure what to say here… do you even know for sure?" In Hackett's eyes, there were almost only two possibilities: one, she had gone crazy, or two, she was joking. He sincerely hoped for the latter.

"Yeah… I had a DNA-test taken the same day. The doctor probably thought it was a mother-son test… you should have seen his face, Thomas' that is, when he learned… Damn, I wish I had recorded it. Or at least taken a picture." She said, completely unfazed by the fact that the admiral next to her looked like there might be a stroke coming.

"Anna… this is where you are supposed to reveal to me that you are only joking. Hell I still have some difficulties figuring _your_ past out, let alone this supposed brother of yours." He said, rubbing his eyeballs.

"Well, no one ever said being my uncle was easy, did they? Or did you think that being in charge of seven fleets and thousands of human lives would save you from that?" She said, not breaking her eyes from the mounting of what she recognized as a broad-side Mass Accelerator Cannon. It wasn't nearly as powerful as the hull-length main cannon installed in every single warship from cruiser and up these days, but they could fire a fourteen-kilo slug every tenth second, so she reckoned they would do just fine. Especially in a knife-fight like she had planned for them to be used in.

"No… I guess they didn't… so you are actually serious then? You have a brother, and not one your parents just decided to have late?"

"Actually, in theory, he's my older brother… don't ask, and for the moment, I think he is still just as freaked out about it as I was… and as you are at the moment. Listen, I'm not expecting you to believe me, but that guy is my source for these things. He has some way of finding this shit, and quite frankly, what he gives me for free is better than what _any_ Alliance Tech has ever sold me. So I don't plan on losing that source. Which is why I took some precautions with him and his crewmembers the last time they had shore leave here." She continued speaking, only sneaking a quick look to see if her uncle and mentor had had a stroke, or was about to gently pull her in a strap-jacket. Instead, she just saw an old man with a tired smile on his lips, massaging his temples.

"Which brings me to another subject… you wouldn't know what happened to fourteen proto-type phase-II combat-hardsuits we've just developed, would you?" He said, giving her a suspicious stare, though with a small glint in his eyes.

"Well… I may… have included them in my precautions… not like they were gonna be used for anything better than that, and besides… what better way to test them than to put them through the fire?" She responded, a small smile protruding on her lips. Hackett just sighed;

"Then we'd better hope they survive, or that project of yours will lose some funding."

"Yeah right, I've tried that one before. No problems, I'll find some way to finance this shit." She shrugged.

"How come _my_ niece is the _only_ Admiral in the Alliance who swears? I mean, what did I do wrong?"

"Ah, not your fault. Dad just had a… colorful language at times. Kinda stuck." She said with a small smile, remembering the last time she had been home on a visit. To think that she was going to be a grandmother was nowhere near as exciting as her parents going to be great-grandparents. Just a shame Sam was such a douche bag. Kids ought to have a grandfather, not make do with only a grandmother.

"Well, I guess there's nothing I can do there. Any more news on the Noveria situation? I have been told there's a second ship meant to help the Normandy out?" Hackett asked, seemingly in a hurry to change the subject. The very idea of what Anna had called 'jumping' not only went against every single kind of science out there, it also gave him one hell of a headache and had given him more than a few sleepless nights.

"Yeah, Remember Decarissa Feltan?"

"The Turian lieutenant? Yeah, you two always seemed like an odd match, despite the… Hmpf, similarities in behavior and attitude."

"Actually, she's a captain now, commandeering the TSF Centurion. She never could stay away from where the action was." Anna said with a warm smile, wondering if a certain Turian would be sneezing as she spoke.

"I'm surprised, I didn't think reckless behavior helped someone climb the stairs in the Turian military. Still, I suppose I can see why she was promoted, seeing as she has one of the best records of keeping her men alive."

"So you _have_ read up on her? Why am I not all that surprised?" She asked with a wry smile.

"Well… I… had to make sure you weren't running with the wrong crowd, fun as they may be." He stammered, something that almost never happened. Anna took pleasure in knowing she was one of the very few capable of making him do just that.

"Awww, you're still trying to protect me, aren't you? Well, if you haven't noticed, I'm actually a Fleet Admiral now, same rank as yours… maybe with a bit fewer decorations and medals, but same rank. Besides, I'm sixty-two now; you can hardly consider me a small child anymore."

"I know, I know… It's just, I'm getting old, and my favorite niece isn't going to run with the wrong sort of people if I have anything to say about it. Damn the fact that you're only twenty years younger than me."

"Hah, and people call me stubborn. I appreciate it, I really do Steve. Now, I guess you didn't come up here just to ask about suits and personal behavior. What's on your mind?" Anna asked, turning from the view of the construction of one of the largest ships ever made by mankind. Looking at her uncle, she could recognize the look of weariness and a tiny bit of fear.

"I was just contacted by the Citadel Council… there's one hell of a shitstorm coming our way."

…

October 9th

SSV Normandy

"How long till… we get there?" _seventy-two_

"I think we're till one day out, meaning we'll arrive at Noveria tomorrow… nervous?" Ash says, not breaking off her crunches. I've actually gotten in much better shape since we started this little program of hers, now being able to push it to one hundred crunches, provided I take a break when we reach fifty.

"I would be lying if I said no, so… yeah, I'm pretty fucking nervous at the prospect of going into that kind of hellhole. You?" _Seventy-four_

"Yeah… I guess I am. You know, even with all the training they give marines… none of it really matters when you step up to a battlefield the very first…time." _Seventy-six_

"I know… that kinda made itself clear to me on Eden Prime… Damn I was scared at that point." I say, reaching seventy-eight in the meantime.

"I don't know. You seemed pretty much in control back then, surviving and all… just a shame you couldn't tell us about Sovereign's attack… we might have been able to save more than survived on their own…" Oh fuck… I knew this would come up sooner or later.

"Would you have believed me if I had told you?" _eighty-three_

"No… I guess not. Unless Roku could have popped out and verified it?"

"I don't think he could, not at the time. I get the feeling he's like a character in a game: the longer he sticks with me, the more he learns."

"_That is not too far from the truth… though it is a rather crude comparison, don't you think?"_

"_Yeah well, it's true, isn't it?"_

"_In a sense, yes. Though I would prefer calling it 'achieving understanding of the limits of your body."_

"I suppose that makes sense… hey, by the way, have you ever heard of Tennyson?" Ash suddenly changes the subject, forcing me to stop the exercise.

"Eh… can't say that I have… but from what I know, you have."

"One of dad's sappy poets. He used to love them, both reading to me and the girls, and being read to."

"Sounds like there are worse ways to spend time with your parents. I guess I never really took much time to be with mine, and then one day… poof, I'm here." I say, not really being able to keep the pit in my stomach from affecting my voice. _Fuck, I still miss them so much!_

"I know… miss yours?" She says. I know it's with the best in mind, but the worst part of it, is thinking about them.

"I do… worst part is, until now I haven't even thought about them. I mean, I didn't live with them at the time I was… sent here, but still… what kind of person am I, to completely forget my parents like this? I just… I guess I just threw them out the mental window the moment I saw you… fuck…" I can feel a few tears coming to my eyes, but I just shut them down hard. I'm not supposed to be crying over something like that. not while I actually have a job to do. I then feel a hand on my shoulder;

"Hey… hey it's okay. If it… helps, then I think my mom would just love you." She says with a warm smile, letting her hand glide over my head, where the side that was burned is just starting to grow back in a somewhat normal length.

"Thanks Ash… you know, I could ask you the same question you've asked me a few times now…" I say, trying to get a normal breathing going.

"What?"

"Why… why me? What is it with me that makes you actually like me? I'm not the brightest, strongest or smartest, hell I have recently been declared autistic, brain-dead and clinically dead… all within two months. It's not as if I bring a promise of stability. Other than that, I'm not even the best looking." For some reason, she responds by impacting a knuckle on my forehead. Looking at her, I recognize the same warm smile I've grown to love over the months, the smile that people don't seem to care about when they call Ash out on her 'racist' remarks over the time.

"Because, you make me feel special… appreciated. You don't look at me and think 'oh, there goes the granddaughter of General Williams, the first human to surrender to alien forces ever' you see the person I am, and you apparently have for a bit longer than I care to think about. Point is, when I'm with you, I feel like the whole military-thing for once doesn't have to be all I have to care about. Damn, I'm not really good with words…" She says, slightly blushing. It's just too adorable. I hold a hand out, cupping her cheek;

"You know… I think you are doing just fine." I say, not being able to keep my lips from parting in a big stupid smile. Ash just blushes even more, returning my smile with her more elegant one.

"Smart-ass…" She mumbles as we come closer to each other, me looking into her eyes. Those beautiful hazel eyes. We close the gap, embracing each other in a gentle, yet passionate kiss. As I just wrap my arms around her, I feel like I'm holding the most perfect woman in the world in my arms, which probably isn't too far from the truth.

"_You've said that a few times now… running out of expressions?"_ If there's one thing capable of ruining the mood, it's one of Roku's untimely interruptions.

"_Shut it Danny Phantom, wrong timing."_

"And, you are getting better at this boyfriend-thing." Ash says as she pulls away. I just shrug;

"Like I said earlier: I have a good teacher." I can't help a wide grin that probably makes me look like a pervert.

"God, you're still horrible at the dialogue." She says, punching my arm.

"Ouch, what was that for?" I say, rubbing my real arm, since she wouldn't bother hitting the one made of… whatever Emhart said it was made from.

"Call it my way of showing affection. You don't see me hitting anyone else, do you?" She says with a toothy grin. _Gods, even her teeth are perfect… how the hell can I even compare to this deity? _

"Well, there was this time where you almost smashed that Bosker guy… that mean you love him too?" I say with a snide smirk playing on my lips. This just earns me a new punch;

"Still, sometimes you _are_ an ass… but I guess that's just part of the package, am I right?"

"Yeah well, there's plenty of the package you haven't seen yet." I reply with a smirk. _Gods, did I just say that out loud? _Sometimes I just wish I could tie a knot on my mouth, to prevent just that kind of remarks. Fully expecting a new punch for my pervy comment, I'm pretty damn surprised when Ash just pulls me in for a new kiss, this time a bit harder than before. _Damn… she still tastes like she smells… flowers… because beauty just doesn't seem to be enough…Mara, are you keeping taps on me or something?_

"_Should I ask her?"_

"_Wrong, just wrong Roku… can you?"_

"_Don't see why not, universe intertwine, so deities should as well."_

"_Let's just hope that means the Dragonborn doesn't show up as well. Thu'um or not, he would die here."_

"_True… reminds me, I've got a fun story from once where I played the Greybeards…" _Yeah, nice joke…

When she finally lets go of my shirt and gently pushes me back, I see the most devilish look in her eyes. _Spawn of Chutulhu! What have I unleashed?_

"Oh, so when do I get to see the rest of the package?" She says, running a finger down my chest, towards my abdomen. I can feel the sweating becoming a real problem now, cold sweat running down my back, face heating and blood boiling. Not to mention that my heart is trying to pound its way out of my ribcage.

"I… I… err… I…" Of course my mouth has to follow suit, babbling incoherent nonsense, instead of expressing my feelings. The devilish grin disappears from her face, but the look in her eyes persists;

"Oh relax Thom; I'm not going to eat you or anything. Just a bit of teasing, you know?" She says as she continues running her finger in circles on my chest. I bet she can feel the pounding from my heart. As long as she doesn't realize the reason for my shorts suddenly becoming so tight, I think I might live through the day.

"Ahem… are we interrupting something?" A new voice suddenly cuts in, its flanged sound easy to recognize. Tearing my gaze from Ash's finger, I look to my right, discovering Garrus and Nihlus standing a few meters away, one looking highly entertained, the other merely observant. Both of them are wearing the new proto-type armor Jane somehow procured, through means she has refused to reveal. Upon hearing Garrus' voice, Ashley yelps, almost falling backwards over the bench. It's only stopped by me grabbing her hand, pulling her back to a seated position. When she looks at the Turians, I can see the irritation burning in her eyes. At least, that's until she notices their armor.

It looks, for lack of better words, like a turian version of the armor Boss and his men are using, just with some modifications in color. Also, it kinda weirds me out, just how and where Jane found armor pretty much identical to the phase-II armor from Star Wars.

"_I seem to remember your sister mentioning armor and weapons in context with the commandoes. Could Jane have obtained them from Anna?"_

"_I… guess that's possible, but how would she have done that? It's not as if Jane is listed in the databases as a Spectre _or_ commander of the Normandy."_

"_Beats me how she did it, but you have to admit: there is a connection."_

"Garrus, you look… I don't think that kind of armor was originally designed for Turians." Ash says, shooting him and Nihlus a slightly mocking look. It does look pretty damn funny, I'll admit that much. Especially the weird bowl-like top on the armor, as to copy the Turian design. I'm just glad Wrex didn't get one. Imagining one of those suits, with a tail… that would just do me in.

"Yeah well, it was that or use the pinkie-type you normally run around in." He retorts, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The purpose of this armor is not to look good, but to increase our chances of survival… though I admit; it does feel a bit more stylish than my old armor. Let's just hope it stacks up." Nihlus says, being the everlasting voice of reason.

"And the optional exoskeleton-mounted miniguns don't have anything to do with you liking it better?" Garrus says, referring to the piece of tech leaning against the wall next to Nihlus. For some reason, Nihlus discarded that part, preferring his normal weapons. I guess I can understand, seeing as you would normally use the weapons you are familiar with.

"No, I would rather stay mobile than be bugged down by that sort of weight. Though it would seem our esteemed chef is of another opinion." Nihlus says, gesturing at the far end of the room, where Nic is practicing with his new toy, swinging around and aiming, guided by Tequila who, for some reason, has taken on the role as his tutor in heavy weapons. I just don't seem to remember her ever having used anything but the pulse-rifle in the game. Still, the movements are remarkable similar to those of the USCM-guys in the movie. I suppose it comes with the regular training. I wonder what Tequila would say if I told her that Cameron supposedly planned the machine-gun to be made from a handle to a regular bike. On the other hand, given her reaction during the movie, perhaps I should just shut up about it.

…

October 10th

Normandy Cargo hold

14:23 (Ship time)

"I have to agree with Nihlus: This does feel oddly stylish, like I'm wearing nice clothes for the first time." I say, flexing my hands in the white-armored gauntlet. This is another thing I could have sworn I would never get to try, and yet here I am, putting on the last piece of a phase-II set of armor. The entire thing is in a dull white color, occasionally with a tint of green, blue or red. It depends on the person wearing it, but I chose the one with a blue tint on it, seeing as it is the closest to the clones in star wars. The breastplate is less flexible than the old hydra-model hard-suit I used before this, but it also feels like it can take more of a beating than the old suit, being made of a mix of alloys, spanning from Graphene-enhanced steel, plastic and a underlying layer of non-Newtonian fluids, and an inner coating of synthetic black foam. Other than that, the left wrist has an incorporated Omni-tool, as well as a communicator that connects to the rest of the squad by a single push of a button, instead of having to dial them up on the tool, or removing the helmet to activate the mike. In the utility belt, which Jane somehow got along with the suits, there are useful stuff such as small packs of medi-gel, which I've _finally _learned how to use, grenades and emergency-stems containing an adrenaline-engaging fluid. Other than that, the belt contains rations for two days, water included, as well as a water-cleaning tool. I'm guessing that last one is for when the soldier finds a creek or a lake, and instead of suffering from dysentery, allows the person to purify the water before drinking it. For some reason, each belt also carries a rectangular heatsink, about the size of my hand. The odd thing is, we are still using inbuilt heatsinks in our guns, so what's the purpose of having an external one? Other than that, the suit also sports the optional exoskeleton, which I chose because… well, because it has a miniguns with infinite ammo. I don't think that one requires anymore explanation. Besides, if we're going up against xenos, the last thing I need to worry about is finding cover from bullets… unless they have learned to shoot a gun by now.

_Anything's possible, I guess…_I mutter to myself as I put on the helmet, a modified version of the regular phase-II helmet, seeing as the original Systems Alliance issued helmets actually grants the user a better and easier flow of oxygen than the tell-tale mask of the clone-trooper. _Gods, did I just refer to this as 'clone-trooper'? I know the design is similar, scarily so, but it isn't the same thing. _This thing was produced by Elkoss Combine, in an unusual partnership with Aldrin Labs, supposedly humanity's biggest and best supplier of weapons and armor. I guess as long as it keeps me alive, I really don't care if it was made by Hanar, though I have yet to see something the Hanar have actually made. Hearing the low hiss as the helmet insulates me from the surroundings, I see a bunch of small data-systems appearing in my visor, kinda like the inside of the Iron Man, just a bit simpler, seeing as the ordinary soldier is supposed to use it, not an eccentric billionaire with practically unlimited funds and an AI in his basement. Also, I don't plan on producing missiles for the Afghani-wars anytime soon. I tap the helmet with a gloved finger, feeling a slight disturbance inside it;

"Testing, testing… is this thing on?" I ask with a small, yet nervous smile as I look around me, observing the rest of the team suit up. One of the fully armored-up forms turns to face me, the bulge in the chest-plate revealing the gender of the wearer.

"Yes Fisher, I believe it is on… but maybe you should turn the volume down, before I lose my hearing." The voice of Liara says, making me aware of the insanely high volume my speaker is currently set on. Mumbling as I fumble with the button for the sound-control, I see Nic step into his exoskeleton, lifting his arms and fists as to try out the mobility. Oddly enough, these things haven't seen much change since the twenty-first century, seeing as the modules all run on the outside of the suit, nodes and modules exposed to incoming fire. A set of tongs, as well as a few cables run across the user's shoulder, latching onto the fifty-kilo minigun. Since right-handed people use the left hand to support most of its weight, I considered dumping the exoskeleton for a few moments, before being lectured in how my shoulder had dislodged the last time I tried lifting something to heavy for my shoulder to keep up. Even though the arm took most of the strain. Maybe I should consider getting a new shoulder as well… as creepy as that might sound.

"Sorry, it should be down now… better?"

"Yes, it does sound more acceptable now, thank you." She says. how come her speaking is so different from how it was in the second game. I know I shouldn't be comparing reality to games anymore, but how could Hudson have missed this? Unless of course, it's my influence that's crippled her manner of speaking. That would just be another nail in the coffin of the original reality, the one that existed before my untimely arrival. I think I'll refrain from asking. Weird as some people may see me, I know when there are questions better left unasked.

"How does it fit?" I ask, simply to make conversation. Liara isn't the easiest person to talk with, but it isn't her fault, being used to spend her time alone in dig sites for the past fifty or so years.

"Well, aside from the slight discomfort of the helmet, given the probable fact the designer though human and Asari heads to be similar enough that a change wasn't needed, giving me a slight headache from my stiff scalp… I suppose it is fine. I will just learn to live with it, I guess."

"But… I thought we still used modified versions of the normal helmets… what happened to the design for Asari?" I can't believe the designers didn't give her an Asari helmet. That or someone else is walking around with room for head-spikes in his or her helmet.

"Yes, but… it is not custom among Asari to wear helmets in low-oxygen areas, and we rarely venture on spacewalks. Instead we tend to adopt breathing equipment So, fully closed helmets for my people were never really developed. Hence the awkwardness of this helmet." Liara says, sounding a bit ashamed.

"You've gotta be shitting me! You girls live for hundreds of years, and never, never did you think of developing closed helmets? Wha- what the hell do you wear when riding a bike, or working in construction?"

"We… I don't know actually. My education was always centered on archeology, not riding motorcycles or building houses." Now she definitely sounds ashamed. Okay, I kinda get why people thought her the ideal love interest in the games, seeing as she is that type of cute nerd, and socially awkward as hell too. Still, it does seem like she's almost overdoing it. But again: I guess spending most of your life in solitude tends to do that.

"Well… that's a bit problematic…" I say, stepping into the external skeleton, allowing the motorized joints to spin to life before I pick up the minigun. It's a smaller model than normally seen on tanks and such, but I guess that's a good thing, seeing as it would just become too heavy to stand upwards with, even with my arm and the exoskeleton. Also, this one looks a bit more accurate, not having such a large area of coverage, but rather focusing on laying down a stream of deadly and precise fire. Pressing the button that causes the barrels to spin up, I point it away from Liara, just in case, and feel the vibrations going through my hands as the weapon roars to life without actually firing anything. _Thank the Gods for that function…_

"Yes, though I imagine that since I am relatively young, my scalp is still flexible enough to simply bend like the fur covering your species heads."

"It's called hair, you know, like a strand of hair? Is having that really _that_ unusual?" I ask, letting go of the button and putting the gun in a hanging position over my back where it folds up like the rest of the weapons tend to do, ending up resembling a complicated lunchbox, combined with a few short pipes.

"Well… yes. From what I know, you humans are the only civilized beings in the known galaxy sporting fu- hair on your heads. Then again, I do not know if Quarians do. They have been sealed inside their suits for so long, I imagine only few people remember what they look like."

"Maybe you should ask John or Tali? I'm sure they would be happy to answer, and it could be worth adding to your research… in some ways I can't think of at the moment." I say, starting to inspect and oil the joints in the skeleton, as having it getting stuck while gunning down hostiles would be as effective as shooting myself… I think.

"Yes, that could work, but… I am not the best 'people person' as you no doubt have noticed, so…" She says, looking at her feet while she's speaking. I sigh;

"Let me guess: you are afraid to go ask them yourself, fearing you might cause offence in one way or another?" It's really just a guess, but judging by her behavior so far, I'll wager it's not too far from the truth.

"You speak as if you know me… it is true, I do not really know how to ask such… personal questions, without making a scene."

"Fine, I'll ask them. Hold on." I say, starting to walk over to John and Tali, both sporting the new suits, however neither have even spared the miniguns a single glance. I guess Quarians just like to stick to their shotguns. John notices my arrival, and puts down his shotgun, being in the middle of maintaining it I guess;

"Thomas, what can I do for you?" He asks, with a much more military voice than the first time I met him. I guess he's growing into the role;

"First, you seem to be getting better at this whole 'commander business' speaking professional and all that…second, I have a question… or, Liara has one but she is afraid she might cause a scene asking, so I kinda volunteered to do it for her and… John, do Quarians have hair, you know, like humans?" Okay, that was a bit more direct that I would have wanted it, but the die is cast now… so to speak. John's body language, read like a human's, portrays him as being surprised by the question;

"Ehm… I… that's a funny question, but yeah. We have hair in a manner quite similar to you actually. I have only seen a few of my species without their masks on, but all I have seen, their hair was dark, including mine and Tali's." John says, scratching the back of his neck with an armored three-fingered glove. I breathe out a sigh of relief I didn't even know I have been holding in.

"Okay… thanks Shepard- I mean John- Shepard… hhhhrrrrr… what _do_ you want us to call you, actually? I mean, now with Jane onboard, calling both of you Shepard would be a little strange, even with the pronunciation being different, and do you still want the crew to just go with 'John', or is it 'commander' or 'John'Shepard'? Sorry if that came out as too much, but I guess I have been haunted by it for some time… commander." At first John just looks at me, then Tali, than back to me. Then, he laughs. Well, not laughs, but he chuckles;

"Heh, heh… I think 'John' will be fine for now. I might force you to call me 'John'Shepard' later on, but for now, 'John' will do."

"Phew, thanks John… well, I'll just be leaving the two of you alone again. John, Tali." I say, returning to my spot.

"_I'm amplifying their conversation, listen to this:" _Roku suddenly says, causing me to stop dead in my tracks.

"He _is_ a little strange at times…" The voice of Tali comes from the inside of my head. _What the…_

"Yeah, but he's solid. I may not trust him with our lives yet, but that's because of his youth. He _could_ snap at some point. I do not doubt his character, or his loyalty, don't get me wrong, I'm just finding myself in need of seeing him a bit more in action before I can fully trust him, that's all…"

"You mean like Nicolai Tengberg?" Tali asks. None of them seems to realize I can hear them, although I almost wish I couldn't. Ignorance is sometimes bliss, like Jacob's dad said it. Never thought I should find myself agreeing with a man who made sex-slaves out of his crew.

"Yeah… remember how he almost snapped back on Feros, when the geth were getting too close for comfort, and Tequila had to slap him to get him back on his feet?" Okay, I didn't really need to know that.

"Well the geth are scary, especially since they don't know the meaning of mercy or unarmed…" Tali says, a hint of sympathy in her voice. _Okay, can we stop this now? It feels so wrong, on so many levels, to be eavesdropping like this._

"_Sure, just thought you might want to listen to conversations about you."_

"_See, this is why I sometimes wish Kelly was onboard: You have the meanest and most disturbing habits."_

"_Oh yeah, name one."_

"_Well, you seem to wait until I'm kissing Ash to make some really random comment, and you want to reveal yourself to every single person even remotely related or connected to me. You enjoy scarring people, and preferably in a horrifying way and last, you-"_

"_Okay, okay I get it. You don't appreciate my sense of humor."_

"_That's humor? Then I would prefer to never see what you do when pissed off."_ Sometimes… this 'guy' is just too much. Looking back at my spot, I notice Scorch is standing next to Liara, apparently trying to make conversation. Neither of them are wearing helmets, and from the looks of it, the conversation isn't going too well;

"-Anything by it…" I pick up the last words in Scorch's sentence.

"Oh… I see." Liara responds, looking at her feet. I damn well better not be interrupting something.

"Listen I… what was said in the mess hall that day… I… crap, I don't usually clam up like this, I'm… what I'm trying to say… I don't know what I'm trying to say. I guess I… just wanted to say sorry, if you have been thinking of me like what Sev said back then, what he referred to…I mean, I don't consider you to be ugly or anything, I just…Force! Why is this so hard?" Scorch ends up almost shouting, drawing a few gazes, as well as seemingly startling Liara. I just keep to the side, within ears-range.

"I'm sorry, if I am making… you uncomfortable Scorch. I didn't mean to-" Liara says, drawing Scorch back to looking at her, throwing out his arms;

"Liara, that's the thing. You _can't _make me feel uncomfortable. I… when I'm around you, I just feel right, even if Sev is hanging around nearby…" Man, Scorch sounds like he's actually confessing feelings to Liara… and I don't even have the decency to buzz off while he's doing it. I guess my sense of decency left along the line of listening to Tali and John without them knowing it.

"What are you saying? That I make your day better or that it is Sev who makes your day better?" Oh… damn. Poor guy. Liara is so oblivious to his confession that he probably has to spell it to her.

"I… no, it's not like that at all… well, the part with Sev isn't, but the part with you making my day better and… listen, if we come back from Noveria… _when_ we come back from Noveria… would you like to… I don't know… maybe go out and… For Frak's sake, why is this so hard?" He looks really worked up now, face having shifted from a light brown, to a shade of red. Liara suddenly seems to see the light, so to speak, and gains a very embarrassed look upon her face;

"You… you mean that…" She says, probably not yet sure enough on his intentions to ask directly. Scorch looks back at her at the tone of her voice. It looks like something's just turned back on in his eyes;

"I… yeah. Yeah I guess that's what I've been trying to say… that… listen, I know that me and my brothers, that we look alike and were pretty much bred to fight and die, with no personality intended and so on… but, we're different. Boss, he is always the voice of calm, he is clever and smart and never lets someone get killed under his command… if he has a saying in it. Fixer, he is like this geeky guy you would know from college, knows all the tech and skills and ways of hacking into the most complicated systems… and you don't want to fight him in gravy-ball, guy's a fucking monster when he's playing… and Sev… Sev… Sev is a guy you want covering your back, even if you hate each other's guts, he's a soldier to the core, not knowing the meaning of fear, but he's pretty good at teaching others… he also has the social sensitivity of a Rancor, but… yeah." Scorch says, slowly losing the redness from his face, regaining his brown skin-color. Liara looks at him with a small, soft smile;

"And you Scorch? What makes you 'you'?" She asks. Scorch doesn't answer instantly, instead slumping down on a crate, massaging his face with both palms.

"Honestly? I'm not sure. I may have a sense of humor, everyone does… I like blowing things up, but that's just part of my programming, the things we are taught inside the vats. I guess there isn't really a lot that makes me stand apart from the regular clone, except for my training and all…" He says, not daring to look at her while speaking. Damn, did he just shoot himself down? Hell, I think even I did better than that… if only one tiny bit. Still, poor guy. At least Liara seems to have caught on to it by now. I'm torn from my thoughts by a slightly entertained sigh, coming from my right. Turning, I notice Ash is suddenly standing next to me. _How did I not notice that?_

"Hey Thom… how's he doing so far?" She asks, nodding at Scorch. I shake my head;

"Well… not too good. He seems even more nervous than I was back then, remember?" I say, giving her a slight smile.

"Yeah, I don't know about that. You were more or less a wreck, probably because of the things going on at the time, with your secret being blown and all."

"Hey, no fair. Do you have any idea how much of a headache I get each time Roku uses me as a mike?"

"Luckily no…" She says, leaning back against the wall, her red-tinted armor looking the same as Liara's, with the slight bulge on the chest. Her helmet is still in her hand, the outside looking a bit like that of the actual phase-ll armor, except for the tubes extending from the back of the helmet to her back, merging with her armor. I decide to defy decency again, and attempt to listen in on Scorch and Liara;

"… But I just… I think you are really nice person, and not just one of many. I am not sure just what the 'vat-part' means, but to me, you really seem like a nice person Scorch." Liara says.

"So… do you want to… I don't know… go and have a whatever it is you people drink, after we come back from Noveria?" Scorch asks with a hoarse voice, probably on the verge of fainting.

"Yes, I would like that." Liara says. Looking over at the two of them more closely, I notice how their hands are nearing each other, just at fingertips' range. Damn it looks cliché, and really sweet. _Alright, that's one more couple to the list… let's see, who's left? We have Garrus, Sev, Boss and Fixer, Kaidan may have something on for Jane, and Garrus may as well, now that I think about it… so we have an opportunity for… one more couple? Wonder if I should bet with Ash who else gets it together first… think I'm betting on Kaidan to- no wait, Garrus seems much more interested, but… Jane ignored his attempts… Damn this is difficult…_

"Say Ash… up for a bet?" I say as casually as I can. She gains a confused look on her face.

"Uhm… sure. What about?"

"Since pretty much every girl but Jane has engaged in some kind of relationship… who do you think will be the next couple?" I could just as well have asked if she wanted to see my turd, because the surprised look on her face I just priceless.

"Uh… I don't know… I guess I'm guessing on her and Garrus. He seems pretty on to her, if you know what I mean…" She says, even making the pervy eyes and all. Oh Gods! She did _not_ just use that meme! Now the only remaining thing would be for Ash to love videogames, and she could be chiseled in marble and portrayed as the perfect woman. Not that she already isn't, but that would bring down the hammer on any doubters.

"Alright people, prepare for docking with TSF Centurion, and try not be enrolled in the Roman army, 'cause you know, they tend to get you killed." Joker's voice sounds over the comm., almost scaring me out of my armor.

"I didn't know we had arrived already… Centurion… that's the turian ship, right?" I ask, looking at the commotion as the rest of the ground teams make their final preparations, putting on helmets, stepping into the exoskeletons or picking up rifles, shotguns and pistols. Despite not having an exoskeleton, Wrex wanted to try out the minigun, and he is already looking at it with the loving care of a proud parent. For some reason, I can't help the feeling that he's going to do something incredibly badass with it. His shotgun is still placed on his back, so he hasn't replaced it, and will probably go back to using it after we're done on Noveria. Along the wall, people are engaged in final touches, a paint-job here and there, testing out the weight and flexibility of the armor, putting on gauntlets and helmets, testing out the sound and radio. When I look at Nic, he and Tequila re both in the finishing touches of assembling their set, both are sporting the miniguns. So far we're four people who have chosen to use them. I guess that could settle it if we were to divide into teams. Though if I have learned _one_ thing from movies such as Aliens, it's never to split up.

"Well, onto business then…" I say, sticking my Raikouin the belt's holster and placing my helmet over my head, followed by Ashley already wearing hers.

…

October 10th

Normandy docking tube

17:11 (Normandy ship time)

The loud hissing from the door causes all of us to stand at ready, guns at our feet, or in the case of those without the miniguns, on their backs. The 'Honor guard' as one could call us, consists of representatives from each grouping. Boss is representing the clones, although we are all dressed pretty much the same by now, all armored up and with weapons at the ready. The biggest difference is that while the Alliance has yet to copy their weapons, they seem to have been able to procure more ammunition for the blasters, meaning they won't have to change to our weapons anytime soon. Representing the Spectres, and not the Turians, is Nihlus, clad in the red-tinted phase-ll armor, with his shotgun on his back, and Avenger rifle at foot. Always the professional I guess. Representing the crew, since we are a bigger group, is Ashley, Garrus and me, all three armored up in blue and red. Tequila refused to use the helmet given to her, probably because it looks so much like the helmet of the 501st, the clones at the lead in operation Knightfall. Somehow it doesn't seem like she trusts the clones one hundred percents yet, but I guess things are better than when she accused them of murder on Feros. Jane and John are standing at the end of the line, backs to the CIC. Jane has sort of become the unofficial second in command on the Normandy, and being reinstated as captain probably did a good deal to improve her mood, seeing as she now commands the rest of us lowly grunts again. Jane is, like the rest of us, sporting the brand new armor. Difference just is, that aside from Fixer, she's the only one wearing a green-tinted armor. I'm guessing there's some meaning behind the colors, but so far I haven't been able to see any purpose aside from color of choice. John, and Tali who's waiting with the rest in the mess hall, being served what some of the crew referred to as 'the last supper' _Assholes_, have both been equipped with a modified version of the turian armor, seeing as the manufactures, whom Jane revealed to be paid by my sister, of all people, didn't feel like making a quarian version. _Damn racists…_ so, with a bit of tinkering and helped by our requisitions-officer, whose name I, so help me, can't remember, they managed to modify the turian version of the phase-II armor, making it suitable for Quarians. It even comes with an extra protective mask, a plate of plastoid-alloys, complete with gabs in the plate for the wearer to see out of. Both of them have donned them, although I don't know how easy they are to see through. I mean, I can hardly see John's specks of light through the V-shaped gap in the plate. Both of them are also still sporting shotguns, though John seems to have found his knives again, polished and sharpened them all. I'm guessing there are at least ten of them. I just don't hope he plans on retrieving them if he throws them at a xeno. The acid will destroy the knife instantly… I think.

As the airlock opens, John walks up the corridor, Jane in tow;

"Ten hut!" Jane barks, instantly causing all of us to snap to attention, if that's possible with a minigun at your feet. The door slides open, revealing the shapes of three turians, two holding handguns at their hips, and the one in the middle calmly walking through the door, nodding to us, spending a few seconds starring at Garrus, for whatever reason that might be, then turns its attention at the Quarian and Human walking towards it. That's when I see it: The long spikes that should be coming out behind its head like on Garrus and Nihlus… they aren't there. _Is this a second race of turians or…_

"At ease." The turian says, and the revelation hits me like a hammer to the face. The voice… that turian is a female! I'm actually looking at what fans have been demanding for years: a turian woman! Resuming my posture after having swayed a bit, I continue looking straight through the air, like some odd tin-soldier. Nevertheless, this is how you salute in the grander style. We all then obey her command, seeing as John nods his assessment, and I turn my head to follow the scene, noticing the odd looks the Turian honor guards send our new armor. _Yeah, I'm pretty sure this thing is the shit, compared to their armor. _Next to me, I can hear Garrus uttering some swearwords, though most of them don't translate, I do pick up _Oh crap, it's her! _From his words.

"Commander Shepard." She says, extending a three-digit hand towards Jane, then looking a bit confused when the human woman instead gestures towards the Quarian next to her. John is looking a little upset, from what I can tell. _Oh great… just great… this is how we should always start a partnership, by messing things up in racist style._ Quickly regaining her calm facial expression, the Turian instead extends her hand to John, being met with a, from what I can hear of rubber chaffing against bone, pretty strong grip;

"Decarissa Feltan, captain of the TSF Centurion."

* * *

Codex entry - phase-ll hardsuits

Following the sudden jump in armor-tech, supposedly made by Rear Fleet Admiral Anna Vestergaard Cologne Fisher, Aldrin Labs have begun the production of a groundbreaking new type of combat hardsuits, utilizing a mix of different light metals, as well as nano-carbon mono-molecule-reinforced plastoid alloys. The new type of battle-suit, dubbed phase-ll armor by its inventor, is reported to be able to withstand volleys of enemy fire, even after the shields have been shattered by incoming fire.

There are currently DELETED suits in active testing, as well as more than DELETED still in production, with many new modifications expected to be revealed.

Other than the materials in the new suit, it also sports an improved helmet, complete with enhanced breathing equipment, longer-reaching communicators and inbuilt flashlights, making the older rifle-mounted flashlights obsolete. The helmets also connect to the users currently equipped weapon via a VI interface, helping the soldier not only keeping tabs on his shielding, but also on his level of ammo, or in the case of modern weapons, how close the gun is to overheating.

Lastly, the suits sport addable exoskeletons, making the soldier inside capable of hefting a fifty-kilo minigun to the suits interface, turning the already enhanced soldier into a walking machinegun-position. The developers at Aldrin Labs have dubbed this 'The Juggernaut' as the combination of heavy shielding, enhanced armor and the minigun turns the soldier into an almost unstoppable killing machine.

Codex entry - Exoskeleton-mounted minigun.

From the dawn of the nineteen-hundred wars, one of the favored weapons of support and anti-infantry and anti-LV fighting, has been what humans refer to as 'the minigun', more correctly known as the Gatling gun, a weapon invented in the colonial conquering of the African continent, and later used in Japan and in the pre-USA America. Quickly gaining a fierce reputation for its ability to mow down entire walls of enemies, the weapon had its baptism of fire when British and Dutch colonial soldiers used it to massacre the otherwise well organized Zulu armies, and later when it was used in the American civil war to churn up the ranks of north- and south state armies. It was later sold en mass to the Japanese as part of their pro-western program in order to wipe out the resisting clans of Samurai.

Later on, in the twenty-first century, the weapon, now known as the minigun, became standard equipment in most militaries around the world, filling roles from gunner-position in a Humvee, to being mounted on tanks and helicopters. The rate of fire was even fast enough for fighter-jets to use them in dogfights.

The M56A2 Exo-mounted minigun is a 10mm general purpose automatic squad support weapon effective to 1,500 meters. The pulse-action system employs a free floating recoil dampened motorised rotating breech mechanism firing 10 mm x 28 pellets chipped from inserted blocks of tungsten. The guns also incorporate a muzzle booster to ensure the necessary operating forces from the kick-back of the launched projectile. Cyclic rate is around 1200 rpm. The gun is constructed largely from molded carbon-fibre and light alloy stampings, though some interior parts of the mechanism are plastic. The replaceable barrels-system is cooled by an internal heat sink, though a heat sink attachment can be jacketed onto it, maximising the rate and duration of the weapon's firing. The system is mounted on an operator's harness and slaved to an infrared tracking system. The entire gun assembly (including harness and additional heat sinks) masses 47.82kg. The length of the gun itself is 122cm, and the length of the barrels are 54.5cm for each. Ammunition-bloks are stored in a drum mounted on the left side of the gun, and enables it to hold up to five blocks, making the firing of seventeen-hundred rounds a possibility.

Ideas have been proposed to convert the systems of the minigun into using actual ammunition again, seeing as the problem with overheating would then disappear, and since most Omni-tools are capable of turning variable sorts of scrap, stone and junk into Omni-gel, and from there into hardened casings, only the power to launch these projectiles would be needed. So far though, attempts to find a more reliable source than the heatsinks have proven futile.

* * *

**Alright... so much happened in this chapter, I almost won't bother summing it all up... which is why I'm letting you guys do it for me ;)**

**I know, lazy fuck and all that, but consider that I just gave you, in three days, more than 20.000 words worth of reading, that's more than thirty pages of writing with a broken thumb, give in to me here ;)**

**Before you start saying that Hackett doesn't have a family, or we don't know who they are and he can't act like that... well, we saw him so rarely that I consider it up to the individual to decide that. I chose to give him a more human out-look, instead of the grizzled veteran we all know him as... and can you honestly say you can't imagine him as the caring uncle?**

**Till next time, where we embark on the Frozen Heart... hmm, maybe that could be a title for something?**


	28. Noveria - Death and Darkness

**And, I'm back. **

**There's nothing much to say about this chapter that I bet you didn't alredy expect, that we're on Noveria now.**

**Also, since it's been some time since people paid attention to the poll, I'm closing it when the next chapter comes out. Just a heads-up. **

* * *

Noveria - Death and Darkness

October 10th

Normandy CIC

17:13 (ship time)

"So… Garrus, I noticed you seemed to recognize one of the Turians… any fun stories you would like to share?" I ask as we follow the Turians and the Shepards through the CIC. Now with us being fourteen members of the ground team, while we are also hosting a few hierarchy-marines and their captain, this Decarissa Feltan, I think the name was. Funny how all Turian names sound somewhat Latin. Or, it might just be me. Garrus turns to look at me, eyes almost drilling through my soul. I almost shudder at the gaze, but only almost. Then he sighs, and deliberately slows down as we round the galaxy-map;

"I suppose… just don't go spread it around."

"Sure."

"Back in my days in the Turian navy, maybe ten, fifteen years back, I worked as a recon-sniper, hence the rifle… old gift, don't ask. Well, me and this other recon-scout had been… well, we were at each other throats, to put it mildly." _Wait… whoa whoa WHOA! _Garrus blew of steam with _her_?

"Divines… Garrus are you telling me… that the woman you… held a tie-breaker with in her quarters… _that's_ her? You nailed the _captain_?" I have to restrain my voice in order not to shout or make my voice louder than it can already be heard. Garrus isn't wearing any helmet, carrying it along with him under his left arm. When I'm done, the blood seems to have disappeared from his faceplates, and he almost drops the helmet on the floor;

"Ho- Ho- How did-" He stutters, fumbling with his rifle, looking like he's going to drop it.

"Relax Garrus, it's trans-knowledge… no one except for me and Nic knows it, so your secret is safe." I say in an attempt to calm him down. Hell, if I had known I would actually get to meet his old fling… I would have brought a pencil and written 'reach vs. flexibility' on my armor. When we walk down the stairs, I notice none of the turian honor guards are following, meaning their captain needs body-guards, I guess.

"Spirits, I'm never going to get used to you knowing all you do… besides she was only a sergeant back then…" He says, entering the room where the rest of the crew is waiting for orders.

"Don't worry, I'll try and keep the revelations to a minimum." I say as I sit on one of the chairs. It feels a bit weird sitting down in this armor, but I'm guessing the exoskeleton wasn't really meant for sitting in the end. It isn't uncomfortable, just a bit weird. Garrus nods his thanks and sits down, fiddling with his helmet. Noticing a few plates on one of the tables, I can read a few tags on them. One says Garrus, one Nihlus, one Ashley, one Thomas and one Boss. It looks like all but Jane and John have been accounted for, so I suppose those two already have had whatever is on those plates. Opening the lids, I am greeted by the sight of huge lumps of _Swartzenbroot_, or just what Danes call 'rye bread', a dark and heavy type of bread, delicious when freshly baked, but rather tedious when having been on the table or in the fridge for a few days. There's a bit of ham to add to it, but I just grab the loaf named 'Thomas', and sit down, starting to dig into it. _Yuk, when accustomed to ham, curry chicken and sausages, you forget how bad rye bread tends to taste._ Nevertheless, I don't know when we'll eat next, so I just swallow the bites, trying to compensate with some of the ham. The rest of the team looks like my opinion is pretty common, all munching down the loafs with various degrees of distaste.

"Damn… I thought I escaped these when I left Earth…" Kaidan says, holding his bread in front of him.

"Yeah well, at least it's better than the oatmeal on Eden Prime." Ash says, earning a few laughs. Mainly from those familiar with the standard of military food.

"I'll second that" I mutter, forcing down the last bite; "Doesn't mean it tastes good though…"

"It's healthy, therefore it can't taste good." Fixer says, looking like he's on the verge of discarding the bread. At one point or another, people look at Nicolai who apparently doesn't mind the bread.

"Hey, it was the only bread left. I'd planned on restocking in Port Hanshan, but… yeah I don't think that's going to happen now. So… enjoy, that's the bread we'll be eating till we reach another port or the Citadel." He says with a shrug. This is where I actually envy Tali. She's just sucking on her tube, seemingly totally indifferent about the flavor. I bet Nic spiced _hers_ up, just for old memories' sake. _Cheeky Bastard…_

"Hey Ash?" I ask, with a question in mind that's been bugging me for some time.

"Mm…?"

"This guy… Tennyson. Does he have any verses about going down fighting a horde of alien bugs?" I ask with as much casualness as I can. Okay, the question was actually meant to be 'can you tell me some more about Tennyson?' but I suppose this one works as well.

"Well… none that involves fighting in the sense we're going to… though he have a few good ones for a burial… which I kinda hope we won't need… but William Yeats have one I find very… suiting, for facing certain death…" She says, gaining a slightly darker mood.

"Can I hear it?" I ask, suddenly realizing that most of the chat around the table has ended, most people now focusing on Ash. She slowly nods;

"Nor dread nor hope attend  
A dying animal;  
A man awaits his end  
Dreading and hoping all;  
Many times he died,  
Many times rose again."

She says, pausing for either effect or thought. I just sit here, mesmerized. I've never actually heard poems being recited before, and Ash does it so vividly, it's like she wrote it herself, or experienced it first-hand. Its both scaring and soothing at the same time;

"A great man in his pride  
Confronting murderous men  
Casts derision upon  
Supersession of breath;  
He knows death to the bone  
Man has created death." She says, the final tone letting us know that she's done.

At first, there's not a sound around the table as most people are, like me, probably stunned by how dark that was.

"Damn… that was sure as hell a mood-lightener…" Nicolai mumbles, finishing his meal. Ignoring him, I just look at Ash, looking at her face, how silent and yet filled with emotions it is.

_Many times he died…many times he rose again…a great man in his pride, confronting murderous men..._

"_It reminds you of yourself a bit, doesn't it?" _Roku asks with an almost solemn voice. A rare thing to hear from him.

"_Yeah… yeah I guess so…"_

…

October 10th

Normandy Briefing room

17:23 (ship time)

"Alright people, this is the plan." John says, demanding our attention by halfway bellowing to cut through the occasional chatter, demonstrating the seriousness of this situation;

"We have had no further contact from Port Hanshan since the distress call, and all civilians are presumed dead. Unfortunately…" He says, shooting his Turian counterpart a look of irritation and mild distaste; "We can't simply bomb the place to hell from Orbit, even though that would have been the most effective solution. Now, the plan for dealing with these critters, will be as follows: We divide into four teams, with each team securing their own little place in heaven in whatever's left in that shithole, where after we establish radio contact with the Centurion, confirming that we are all very much alive. They will then deploy regular marines to carry out a sweep of the area around the lobby, as well as setting up a secured checkpoint which we will use to fall back to in case of the plan going Kazuat." John says, nodding to Jane who proceeds to pull up a holographic map of the complex, giving us an aerial view of the place;

"Now, the teams will be Able, Baker, Charlie and Delta. Able, will take and hold this point, the garage for the vehicles still there, and seal off the entrance from the inside, making sure we won't be having new visitors from the outside, geth or xeno. Baker will secure the hotel, as well as restore any malfunctioning systems from there. Once done, they are to bunker down and await reinforcements from the Centurion. Once relieved, they are to join Able in the garage and repair any vehicles still there." John says, pausing for a breather. _ Ah fuck… we're splitting into teams anyway?_

"Charlie will secure the perimeter around the plaza, as well as lock down any elevators and vents in the area. Not making same mistake as on Acheron. When they are done, Delta will head in and secure remaining rooms and offices, then head to the former administrative office where most of the data-recordings are supposed to be kept. That way perhaps we can find out just what happened here… any questions?" John says, looking at us, his collective band of uniformed rag-tag troops. Tequila stands up;

"Permission to speak sir?" She says with military precision. John nods;

"Granted."

"Sir, with all due respect, that plan is as close to suicide as it gets. _Why_ are we not just nuking the place from orbit? Hell knows we've got the armaments for it." She says, giving him a hard stare, as well as Decarissa. The Turian doesn't look fazed in the least;

"Because Corporal" She says, stepping forward; "We are here for two reasons. One is to remove the threat from Port Hanshan. The other is to capture specimens for study. Council's orders." I feel my entire body shake from those words '_capture… study'_ . They… they can't be serious. I stand up as well;

"Yes Corporal Fisher, what is it?" The Turian asks, obviously having been briefed on each person in the room. I can feel how the fear is making my legs tremble, but at the same time the anger is causing my breathing to speed up, resulting in me having to grab onto a chair to prevent myself from falling;

"With… all due respect, captain Feltan… are you or the council by any chance diagnosed with mental disorders?" I say as calmly as I can, wanting to avoid swearing in the face of an officer of the Turian Hierarchy. The response is at first a lethal glare from the predatory eyes of the Turian, but I get the sense that, having not been the only person watching the movie, I'm not the only one with this opinion;

"Corporal… can you please repeat that question? I'm sure I heard wrong, because it sounded like you just questioned, not only my judgment, but also my mental stability and that of the council."

"Oh I can repeat it, you bet I can repeat it. Did you not listen to a single word about those things? I'm assuming you did indeed watch the film on those fuckers, on what happens when people try to study them. If any of those leave this planet, just one… if just one of those things happens to get to a new colony, or even better, the Citadel… then the person giving the order to study instead of killing them will be responsible for FUCKING MILLIONS OF DEAD PEOPLE! I do not care if I have to walk from cage to cage containing what you might catch down there, and put a bullet through the head of each of the bugs, but I will not just stand by and let you TRANSPORT THOSE FUCKERS OFF-WORLD!" I say, shouting half of it into the face of a now severely pissed Turian officer while most of the remaining crew is just looking on in silence. Decarissa's voice turns into a low menacing hissing;

"I said: _Council orders_. That means that as long as you serve on this mission you will abide by those commands or be placed in the brig. Do I make myself clear?" No one, not even Nihlus or Wrex seem interested in interrupting the standoff.

"Ma'am… I realize that in the Turian military, you just obey orders no matter how insane they are… but please, think about what you are doing here. You are about to order the capture, capture not extermination of a species of aliens more hostile and foreign than the Rachni, and more violent and resilient that the Krogan. On top of that, you want to _keep_ it alive? Can't you see the insanity in that? Listen, I agreed to follow my commander, if need be to the death. 'Know why? Because his orders are only partially suicidal, not insane, suicidal and potentially endangering the entire galaxy. Now, what you want… any world that gets infested with these things would require a nuclear purge to cleanse, and boom, there goes that garden-world. Oh, and its millions of inhabitants."

"Corporal… I can understand your reluctance, I have it myself… but you don't disobey the council's orders, not for any reason unless you are prepared for a court-marshal."

"_Easy Thomas… easy…"_

"_Fuck 'easy'! She wants to bring the xenos off-world!"_

"_I know. Just let me handle that part when we get to it."_

"…Fine. Then let's get this shit over with." I growl, finding my seat again, met with some worried stares. _Maybe we should have played all the movies anyway…_

…

October 10th

Port Hanshan

Docking bay 2

19:11 (Hanshan time)

Exiting the docking tube, I make the last checks on my gear, fastening the helmet, flexing the gloves, testing the exoskeleton's agility and the spin on the gun. Looking around in the bay, I'm struck by how familiar it seems to be. It looks exactly like the one on Feros, just a helluva lot colder. Other than that, nothing really stands out. It's quiet and no one's here to greet us. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. I just know one thing: I already hate this place. Rolling my neck, the interface inside the helmet lights up, showing me the position of the others, as well as their status. Green means good, blue means in trouble or wounded, and red… I just hope I don't get to see red. The comm. also ignites;

"Alright people… we do this quiet for as long as possible. Radio-contact and hand signals only. We don't know if they are already on to us, but I sure as hell don't see a reason why we should alert them anyway. We move in unison towards the door, then the teams split up. Affirmative?"

"Affirmative" Nihlus says. He leads Able along with John.

"Roger" Jane says, being the leader of Baker. That's the team assigned to repair both systems and cars… or whatever we might find.

"Got it." Garrus says, leading team Charlie, the one supposed to secure the plaza. It's also my team.

"Understood." Boss says, being the leader of Delta. Logical as it is, Delta-team consists of Delta-squad, along with Liare for Biotic support. Each team has one biotic, in case it should become a necessity to dark-force our way out of a situation. When we finally move past what looks like it used to be a security checkpoint, with lots of scorch marks dotting the walls, we reach a set of shattered double-doors, both made from glass with a steel-frame… bent inwards as if they tried keeping something from escaping the place, not entering it. When Tequila touches the door to open it, it slowly falls inwards, landing on the floor with a sharp clatter, the noise echoing through the place.

"Well, I guess they know we are here now…" Garrus says, gripping his rifle even tighter. John enters first, and then turns to face the group;

"Alright, you know your teams and you know your objectives. Let's get it done and then get the hell out of here." He says, waiting for us to pile into teams. I then give Ash a tight embrace, afraid that this could actually be the last time we see each other. _But hell no, not as long as I have a word in it!_ Finally letting go, I take my helmet off, giving her a kiss on the forehead;

"For good luck." I say, trying to smile, even though I know this time… there isn't anything worth smiling over.

"Just be careful in there, okay?" She says with anxiety in her eyes before putting on her helmet as well.

"Hey, remember who you are talking to here." I say, trying to sound like I'm not scared out of my mind.

"Exactly my point." She says, turning to walk back to her group. Nic stands nearby, watching the two of us. He then walks over to me, for some reason punching my shoulder;

"Ouch, what was that for just now?" I ask, even though I hardly felt a thing due to the armored shoulder-piece;

"Nothing… but you better get your ass out of here intact when we're done. Jane hauled you out one time already, and frankly, I don't think I- I mean Ashley, could take that sight one more time. So… be careful in there shithead." He says, a weak smile portraying on his lips;

"Don't worry ye Greenlandic drunk-hole, I'm going to be fine… just make sure you two come back to me, okay? I would rather not face down the Reapers without the Ron and Hermione of the team." I say, trying to force a smile. He just shakes his head and puts on his helmet, becoming yet another armored figure, all clad alike.

"By the way, you should say 'Harry and Hermione', since Ron and Hermione ended up together…" He says, tapping his helmet, producing a slight _thud_.

"_Hva?_ Did I miss something?" I ask, nearing the doorway. A nervous chuckle can be heard through my comm., betraying the fact that the entire crew is listening in as well.

"Heh, the last book in the series came out a few weeks after you left us. Hermione and Ron ended up making out in the last one… something with goblins or… I don't know, wasn't really in the mood for reading back then…" He says, stepping over the bent doorframe. _Damn…I really missed out…_

I sigh and put on my own helmet. _Here we go…_ I think as we walk through the doorway, treading on shattered glass.

**Able-team**

John'Shepard

Nihlus Kryik

Nicolai Tengberg

Ashley Williams

**Baker-team**

Jane Shepard

Kaidan Alenko

Tali'Zorah

Decarissa Feltan

**Charlie-team**

Garrus Vakarian

Thomas Fisher

Teresa "Tequila" Aquila

Urdnot Wrex

**Delta-team**

Boss -38

Scorch -62

Sev - 07

Fixer - 40

Liara Tsoni

…

"Alright… we all know our jobs, let's get them done and get out of here. Teams… commence." John says, starting to lead his guys down a set of stairs.

…

**Able-Team**

19:19 (Port Hanshan time)

"Can you guys read the 'creepy' written on the walls here?" Nicolai Tengberg asked, looking around in the large room they were currently located in. everything was made from either concrete or steel, with nothing even resembling wood or other 'soft' materials. In his eyes, the entire place looked like it was made for robots, not sentient life.

"What, you mean there's something wrong here Tengberg?" Ashley responded, aiming her gun at the ceiling, not taking any chances with an attack from above. She had chosen to stick to her own Lancer-IV, apparently not feeling the hype coming with hefting a giant rotary-machine gun on your waist. As she looked at the ceiling, she could have sworn she saw shades and shadows moving about, but each time she focused the infra-red sights from her helmet, there was nothing. Just cold, deserted wall and stone. Not even a single light was flickering, and a blizzard was raging outside the windows, pouring snow and frost through one of the cracked glass-panels

"Shut it Chief, not really in the mood for jokes now… Save it for Thom when you can go about eating each other again." He said, finger dancing over the trigger to the minigun, his new best friend for the time being. Although the exoskeleton had been a little weird getting used to, he had quickly gotten accustomed to it, now walking like a man having just released a wet fart. Hearing the sound of pebble moving, he swung the gun to his right, and almost opened fire when he noticed that the source of the noise had been nothing but a fountain. The still-flowing water occasionally pulled a small stone from its place, causing it to scurry down a small slide before ending in a shallow basin with a _plop_.

"Jesus, this place is getting on my nerves… why can't we just be attacked and get the shooting done with already?" He sneered, examining the walls for any signs of the growth or whatever it was, that the xenos used to hide in.

"Don't go wishing for what might come sooner than you'd like Tengberg." The voice of Nihlus said over the comm. Inwardly, Nicolai groaned. As if it wasn't enough being sent into a xeno-infested hellhole, he would have to be in the same squad as the single pervy turian in the entire ship's history, present and future.

"I know that Nihlus… but aren't you even the least bit scared? Nervous, anxious?" He asked, not fully expecting a reply.

"I once faced down an entire platoon of rebel turians, killed them all myself… I didn't even know the meaning of that word. Now… now is different. These things don't carry guns, they don't stick to cover. They don't try to trick you or ask you to surrender… they just kill. I've never seen anything like these creatures… those who have, are either really lucky, or the direct opposite."

"Yeah… ain't it a bitch?" Ashley butted in, reminding them of her presence.

"You know what we could have used right now? Motion-trackers. God, I wish I would actually be able to say 'I've got readings' before something raped my asshole with a sharp tail." Nicolai responded, keeping his eyes on a turned over table covered in a dark substance. He held up his hand, using the left to keep a hold on his gun;

"Guys… look at thi-" He said, walking over to the table, not expecting the sight awaiting him. Behind the table laid a human woman, somewhere in her thirties. She was wearing a dark-pink to purple dress, torn in multiple places. Her eyes were open, as if starring into the ceiling while her hands were loosely clutching her chest. At the area with the breasts, it looked as if she had flayed her clothes. Using her pistol to remove the dress-piece, which was covered in the same dark and dry substance, Ashley revealed a gaping hole in the woman's chest, about the size of a fist. There was an area around her where small spots of dark were decorating the floor. Kneeling down to touch it, John'Shepard managed to pick a piece of it up, crushing it between his gloved and armored fingers: Blood. The same substance was covering the table, as well as drawing a thick but thinning trail away from the body.

"What in the spirits… this almost looks like…like…" Nihlus started, but failed to find the words.

"Like shit just got real… this is bad." Nicolai said, eyes following the trail of blood until it simply faded away on the floor. He could feel his hands shaking, probably because of his heart racing faster than his gun would be able to fire rounds.

"Does she carry any kind of ID?" Shepard asked, keeping a lookout while Ashley walked forward to check. Fishing up a wallet, Ashley pulled out a few items, a credit-chit included, and read the name from it;

"Yes… one G. Parrasini… doesn't say anymore." She said, putting the wallet where she found it. she kept one of the items though, a picture of a woman, probably the one lying dead on the floor, smiling with a little boy on her lap;

"Aw… shit…" She said, handing John the picture. Looking at it, he nodded, stowing it away in one of his pockets. If the picture was to be believed, there could be a little boy out there somewhere.

"I guess we've found our first civilian casualty… anyone's got a guess at what did this to her? Well, aside from the possibility of… wait… what's that?" He said, having spotted what looked like a yellow rubber glove with a tail. Picking it up, he quickly dropped it again, recognizing it for what it was: One of those little creatures who fastened themselves on people's faces. Nicolai stepped over to pick it up, examining it;

"Well… thing's a lot uglier in first person view… never imagined I would see one of these in real… in real… in… guys… we have an even bigger problem than before." He said, eyes widening in fear. The rest of the group sighed in irritation, not wanting anymore bad news;

"What is it now?" Nihlus asked as the first. Nicolai responded by kicking the facehugger across the floor to rest at the Turian's feet.

"Guess where these guys come from." Nicolai said in a voice, mixed with desperation and annoyance.

"From eggs, we saw… eggs… come from… are you saying there's a queen here?" Ashley said, seeing as Nihlus appeared to be nowhere near the point of speaking.

"That or someone came here from another planet already infected. I'm sticking to the 'there's a queen here' theory." He said, about to bring his boot down on the dead creature before he stopped himself, remembering the consequences of spilling their blood.

"Nevertheless, we report this to the others, then we keep going. We still have a few hundred meters and hallways to cover before we reach the garage." Nihlus finally said, tapping his arm-comm. to contact the rest while they moved on. Nicolai, being the most shocked of them all, remained at the corpse for a moment before jogging after the others, a feat worth noting since he was wearing the exoskeleton.

"Wait, what about her?" He asked, causing John to stop and look back to the dead woman, still lying as they had found her. John looked at the man's visors for a few moments before nodding slowly, turning around again;

"Nothing we can do for her anyway. Best make her death mean something." He said, checking his shotgun. Giving the signal they moved on through the desolate port, only hearing the sound of the fountain's pebbles sliding to a rest.

**Baker-Team**

19:19

"Tell me again captain Feltan… _why_ is it the council is so keen on us sacrificing our asses to bring back test-subjects? What are they even going to be used for?" Jane asked, leaning around a corner on their way to the hotel, starring down a long hallway littered with different objects of little importance: papers, tools, datapad and remains of food. It basically looked like a garbage-wagon had been through there, dropping as it went. The Turian looked at the human woman in annoyance, still flustered over this unknown person who didn't seem to be Commander Shepard, yet was still called Shepard by the crew. She would have to ask later, when not in the company of death. The smell of something unnatural hung in the air, forcing its way down her lungs with every intake of breath. She felt on the verge of throwing up. Oddly enough, the others didn't seem to have this difficulty, probably due to their masks and helmets;

"As I said before: I don't question orders. You humans might feel like arguing with every single command, but Turians just obey. I never asked for the reason, was just told to bring back at least a few viable specimens." She said while training her rifle at a suspicious shadow that quickly vanished as he focused on it, giving off the impression that it had simply been her imagination.

"Hmpf… you know, I've fought these critters before, these 'xenos'… they're not joking around." Jane said, walking forward with her rifle trained at her front, Tali following right after, with the Turian captain and Kaidan in tow.

"Yes, you've made that quite clear now. As has the state of this place." She responded, shooting a look at the Quarian girl in front of her, wondering why they had brought _her_ along, seeing as she would probably panic at the first sight of trouble. That was where she was curious about this John'Shepard as well, seeing as he seemed a lot more capable than most Quarians. Another mental note for an inquiry for later.

"So, why not question it? Hell even I admit that Thomas… Corporal Fisher was right. This seems really stupid. As in 'getting in a fight with a krogan' stupid. Catching these things… I'd rather just shoot them and let that be the end of it." Jane said, noticing the way shadows seemed to play at the walls above turned over tables and broken chairs. They seemed to be nearing some sort of lounge, maybe where visitors had used to stay before going on about their business. The walls were riddled with scorch marks, and the floor was damaged by what looked like oozing puddles of green liquid. All the puddles still hissing carried a faint scent of ammoniac through the filters in her helmet, reminding her that it wasn't sealed against a vacuum, only against poisonous gasses. Which made it all the more troubling that the smell seeped through.

"Miss Shepard, you seem to insist on repeating the same questions instead of staying focused." Feltan said, not being able to wonder if she would live to see the next meet-up with an old friend of hers. One who reminded her disturbingly so of both this Jane Shepard, and the young corporal. The name itself had made an impression, and she had caught herself wondering if there was a relation between the Admiral and this hot-head. As they made it around a large wall-section, they were met by an unexpected, yet logical obstruction: The entrance to the Hotel, a double-door, had been blocked by what looked like a large steel table, cut in two and welded across the entrance as a makeshift wall. It was obvious that the xenos had tried clawing their way through the barrier, given the multiple claw-marks and scratches in the caste-steel plates. Somehow, they seemed to have found another way around, seeing as no one were about to open the barricade and let them in with cries of relief.

"This could take some time… Tali, would you mind getting us through?" Jane asked, stepping aside as the young Quarian stepped up to the barricade, quickly giving it a look before opening her Omni-tool, extracting what looked like an elongated metal rod from her wrist before igniting the end of it like a small, yet very bright lamp;

"Just give me a moment… there only seems to be one layer…" she said as the rod, for lack of better words, practically melted through the steel, causing the area around the working to light up in a bright white light as the sparks flew from the hands of the Quarian. After no more than seventy-nine seconds, the doors could be pushed aside, taking the steel plates with them like reinforced doorframes. Patting Tali's shoulder as she went by, Jane signaled the rest of them to follow her inside. She wasn't quite prepared for the sight that met her.

**Charlie-Team**

19:20

"So… Any advice you can share Corporal?" I ask Tequila, not taking my eyes off my surroundings, keeping a tight grip on the minigun. It has a slight start-up time, so I want to make sure I'm not jumped or suddenly find myself faced with a horde of these things, and _then_ have to start up the gun. That would get me killed pretty fast. We're in a place I can only describe as looking like the inside of a swimming hall, with a tall ceiling, barren walls and a few chairs distributed across the room. There's also a large reinforced door at the lower left of the room, marking the entrance to a bigger room labeled 'Anoleis. Do not disturb'. I'm guessing this Anoleis, or whatever it means, used to be an important place, because why else would it practically be labeled 'Scrooge McDuck, no entrance'? Wrex and Tequila are both standing watch over the corridor closest to us, leading a few dozen meters down before turning into a T-intersection, splitting off in two new directions. All the lights that seemingly used to illuminate the place have gone red, probably some sort of emergency-lightening. Didn't really look like it helped them all that much.

Garrus is in the progress of using his Omni-tool to weld a worn-down piece f metal over an open grate, closing it off as it becomes the seventh broken grate we've sealed so far. I'm just watching the open area, occasionally switching places with either Wrex or Tequila. I've gotta say, this place doesn't resemble what I've been told at all. There's really no fountain in the middle, no shops consisting of a single glass-wall, and there are numerous corridors stretching beneath the stairs and the first floor. Granted, the big windows in the side are there, but other than that, this looks like a whole different place than the pictures showed. I wish I could remember what happened here in the game.

"Not really… other than shoot first, ask later and keep away from their blood." She says, not taking her eyes off the long dimly lit corridor.

"So… you can't take them on in a fistfight? That's no fun at all…" Wrex mumbles from his spot on a crate.

"By the way… these things tend to change appearance after the type of creature they use as a host… we better hope there weren't any Elcor or Krogan here, or we're in trouble." I say, remembering how the xeno in the third movie had been different because it exploded from an ox… or in the other version from a dog. But I'm sticking to the ox, simply because the dog would be too small for a xeno to fit inside.

"Great, so keep an eye out for any space-elephants with sharp tongues…" Tequila mutters through her comm. in the background Garrus is finishing up his sealing, and rocks the plate a few times to see if it'll hold. Seemingly content, he gets up from the ground.

"Alright… let's find the-" He says, but is cut short when the comm. system activates;

"Yes, Charlie here… Nihlus, how's your progression so far?... Damn… okay, I'll tell the others." He says, switching off the squad-leader comm. For some reason the squad-leaders were given their own channels, not something I'm the biggest fan off, but I suppose they have their reasons. Garrus turns to the rest of us, audibly sighing;

"Alright, seems like the universe wants to play hardball with us. The commander's team just found one of the people working here. Dead, from internal eruption, with what Tengberg called a facehugger lying next to her. It appears as if those little critter-fingers from the labs in the movie have arrived as well, and claimed at the very least one person, a woman named Parrasini. They think she might have had a son here, a small kid apparently, so… keep an eye out, just for that small chance." He says.

"We're playing babysitters now? I thought we were here to kill bugs?" Wrex snorts. Tequila gives him a look of death, identifiable even through her helmet. Wrex doesn't seem to notice, as he carries himself with the same usual carelessness he often does while the rest of us are used to covering our asses.

"Hey Space-turtle, we're here to save those alive, if there are any. And if there are any, we don't ignore them, understood?" She says, hammering her forefinger into his chest plate. If I could see his expression through his helmet, it would probably have been either a sneer, or a priceless look of shock.

"Sure… It's not like I didn't _want_ to help them, you know?" He says, sounding almost sorry for what he said earlier. If it wasn't for the situation, I'd call it funny to listen to. I shake my head, turning back to Garrus;

"So… if there are facehuggers… doesn't that mean…" I say, not fully daring to finish the question. The Turian nods;

"Yeah… Tengberg is pretty convinced there's a queen somewhere around… but not here at least. Then this whole place would be covered in the same goo as the kind on Therum."

"I'm still pretty interested in seeing how these fuckers would stand up to me and this baby." Wrex says, almost chuckling as he brandishes his minigun. Seriously, that guy goes from being awe-inspiring, to scary, and back to awe-inspiring. I wonder if that's a krogan thing or what, but he's one hell of a scarecrow at times.

"Wrex… please refrain from wishing out loud that those freaks are gonna keep us company. If all goes well we won't even see them." Garrus mutters, raising his Lancer-V to eyelevel in order to be able to take the perfect shot, should we actually encounter the bugs. We then move on to secure what looks like a major hole in one of the vents. When I'm looking at it, one thought springs to mind._ A regular xeno didn't make that…_ it's about three times the size of the other holes, and a trail of blood is leading into it from a dark and dried puddle on the floor.

"If this was a movie, something nasty would have attacked us by now…" Tequila mutters, keeping her gun trained on our six while Garrus gets to work on the hole, using his Omni-tool to cut lose a large plate of steel from the wall. That's when we hear it. It's not the low hissing one would expect from Xenomorphs, instead, it sound a lot deeper, like coming from something way bigger than a human. And from the sound of it, it's coming our way.

"You know what Corporal… I like the way you think." Wrex says, pushing down the button, causing his gun to spin up, ready to fire at a second's notice. I also ready mine, but I keep my finger away from it, seeing as I might hit someone friendly in a state of panic. Garrus's movements become frantic as he struggles with the plate, and probably realizing that the Turian is getting too nervous, Tequila lowers her gun to float at her hip, and grabs the plate, helping him stabilize it and get it secured over the broken grate. Tequila looks up from their work while exhaling. In the meantime, Garrus gets to work on welding the plate to the wall.

"Alright, I think- Holy Shit!" Tequila suddenly screams as the plate practically explodes our way, flying straight at Wrex who just manages to turn his heavily armored backside to it, causing it to dent in the shape of his hump. Before he can utter a curse, something lunges from the darkness of the grate. Something big.

**Delta-Team**

"Man, this place looks worse than the Prosecutor… and that's saying something" Fixer uttered as the flashlights on his helmet ran over the room they were currently in. it looked like a intersection of corridors and ventilation-shafts. Not his favorite place to be, having seen how and where the xenos moved around when inside. The room was a mess, to put it mildly. Debris from everything from tables and food-canisters, to broken guns and a severed arm, looking like it had gotten stuck in a door, and then had been cut off when the door had come down on it.

"I know… back then at least we were fighting something we knew how to kill: get there, and stab the fuckers. These things? From what I recall, stabbing isn't exactly the best option, unless you fancy an acidic bathing." Scorch said. His nervous voice came through the comm. like a knife through whatever courage Liara still had. Educated as an archeologist, her main focus in upbringing hadn't been learning how to gun down borderline immortal hostile creatures.

"Alright, cut the chatter folks. Tsoni, keep your barriers ready, in case we need to survive an ambush. Fixer, seal the entrance behind us. Sev, keep an eye out for trouble, and Scorch?"

"Sir."

"Lay down a tripwire around all the corridors but the one we're going through. I want it to be motion-sensitive, as these things don't seem to mind sticking to the walls and ceilings… also, plant charges on every single xeno-made hole we come across. I want there to be no other ways than our way."

"Sure thing Boss… but how do we know what holes are xeno-holes?" Scorch asked, pulling one of his hi-ex packages from his backpack.

"They look like an Aklay's asshole: green, slimy and dark." Sev answered before his commanding officer could say anything.

"How did you know that?" Boss asked him. Looking to where the red-painted commando stood, looking at the wall;

"Because I just found one…" He said, ripping off a good chunk of the material the hole was made from, only to observe how it broke apart like crystallized sugar. Scorch then moved in to plant the charge.

"Good job Oh-seven. Scorch, wait before you blow that hole… how many trip-sensors do you have left?"

"With this Omni-tool? I can make as many as we need… with some time that is. But so far I've got…" He said, rummaging in his belt and backpack before looking at his squad-leader again; "About seven left. Should be enough for the job, plus I can combine those in the corridors to work as one, saving me two extra sensors… something on your mind sir?"

"Yeah… remember how these slimes came out of the walls? I say we prepare a welcome when they do… and… you heard that noise?" Boss said, stopping himself midsentence, looking up at the vent above him, just in time to avoid the grate that fell from it. a growling, like that of a pissed geonosian, came from the grate as four black clawed fingers gripped the edge of it, causing the metal to buckle slightly under the stress it was subjected to. The entire group formed a ring around the vent, ready to blast whatever was in there;

"You know, this is the part of the job I really… really ha-" Scorch muttered, but was cut short as a pair of strong hands gripped him from behind, slamming him into the nearby wall when the powerful hands struck the side of his armored torso. Everything seemed to move in slow-motion for the group as the walls suddenly seemed to come alive, creatures spilling out of the walls left and right, some even detonating the triggers set in the corridors furthest away, yet they simply kept piling out, until all ways out were cut off by black masses of moving bodies, some of them towering above the rest like miniature bug-queens. The constant hissing and screaming grew into a river of noise, drowning out the sound of Sev screaming in rage at the bug that had crashed his brother into the wall.

The screaming even drowned out the sound of Boss ordering the group to open fire. It wasn't needed though, as each member of the squad lashed out with fire and biotic powers before he could even open his mouth to utter the words.

For Liara, time seemed to stand still as she watched her own body act on instincts, flinging biotic fields at the bugs, causing dozens of them to hover in midair, before the field disappeared again, leaving only half the creatures dead from gunshots while the rest moved on, undeterred by the onslaught of firepower sent their way.

"Fire! Fire, Fire!" Boss shouted into the comm., sending a stream of superheated plasma through a herd of the alien creatures trying to force their way down the middlemost corridor, the one where all of Scorch's traps already had claimed the lives of dozens of Xenomorphs. He was forced to watch as Sev struggled with a pair of the aliens who attempted to drag Scorch away, unable to help his brother as a new herd of the aliens tried their luck against the chaotic and discouraged squad of soldiers. Suddenly, Boss realized just why there were so many weapons scattered on the floor, as well as why there were so many bullet holes: they weren't the first to walk into this trap. Watching the counter on his ammo-bar decrease as the blue bolts flew from his gun, the experienced commando felt a familiar sense of dread as it neared zero while more of the unfamiliar enemies continued pouring out from the holes, replacing everyone he shot with two new.

"Fixer, we need covering fire! Who's got the minigun?" He shouted to the clone busy cutting down Xenomorphs streaming out of the holes, focusing on one that seemed twice as big as the rest.

"Scorch did! I don't see him… or Sev! Where the hell did they go?" The commando shouted as he pumped blast after blast from his slug-thrower into the head and chest of the creature, causing it to roar in pain as it swiped at him, crippling two of its lesser cousins, but narrowly missing the clone.

"Tsoni, lay down a barrier, force that thing back so Fixer can finish it off!" Boss shouted at the woman, causing a bewildered and near-panicked Asari to conjure up a blue storm that didn't only block off the creature, but started ripping it and its surroundings to shreds on a molecular level.

"Liara, calm down! Don't exorcize too much of your strength befo- shit!" Fixer shouted, narrowly avoiding a glob of acidic spit that was flung at him from somewhere behind the big alien.

"Sev! Scorch! Where the hell are you?!" Fixer called out, but got no response save for the constant screaming and hissing coming from all directions.

"Delta-squad, fall back!" Boss ordered, issuing the command he had sworn to never again have to give: leaving men behind.

"We can't just leave Sev and Scorch, they'll die if we- fuck! Die you fucking piece of Rancor Shit! Fuck. You! Fuck. You!" Fixer screamed as he unloaded volley after volley into a group of Xenomorphs moving towards him via the ceiling, causing them to explode on impact and fall in pieces all over their fellow critters, showering them with the acid and slowly corroding the otherwise almost impenetrable skin to the point where they started writhing in pain. Fixer didn't let up though, pumping out round after round, blasting apart aliens to the left and right until he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders, dragging him backwards and away from the enemy who had claimed two of his brothers;

"Fixer, we need to follow Boss's orders! I know you want to- Goddess! To save them, so do I! But if we die here, we'll never save-" Liara shouted at him through the comm. as she dragged him backwards. She stopped shouting when one of the acidic blobs impacted on her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain as the acid reached her skin, having dissolved a part of her armor.

"That's it! You monsters probably already took my mother, and now you try to take my friends?! I'll send you to the deepest reaches of human hell before I allow that! Go TO HELL!" Liara screamed, holding up bother her hands as she let go of the enraged clone and sent forth a wall of massive biotic power, crushing the aliens closest to her, and sending the rest of them flying backwards into the walls and floors with sickening cracks.

Coming close to the point of fainting, she leaned against the wall and only faintly observed how the two remaining clones ran up to her and with an arm around each of her shoulders, started carrying her away from the chaos of the intersection, back towards the sealed door.

…

Meanwhile

Noveria

Thirty-two kilometers above Port Hanshan.

"Alright squad, listen up! This is a rescue mission, so watch your fire! Don't give our position away! We need to get in fast, kill however many of the creatures are loose in there, get the researchers and get out before the Alliance arrives. Any questions?" The afro-American man barked, gripping tightly onto the strap hanging from the ceiling of the shuttle as they soared towards the largest of Noveria's corporate ports.

"Sir! What about the reports on the Normandy and a Turian Hierarchy ship being engaged in this as well?" One of the armored forms asked as he faced him, face hidden behind the helmet of the newest type of armor, made from "borrowed" designs belonging to the Alliance. They had all donned what was, by the alliance, called the 'phase-II' armor, the newest attrition to Cerberus's armory. The SpecOps-teams had been the first to be outfitted with these, seeing as they were the ones going into the fray in the hot-spots, also known as cleanup-zones by Cerberus, as it wasn't the first time they had been sent to remove witnesses, eliminate escaped test-subjects, or capture convicts used in experiments. This particular unit had, due to their history, marked their armor with their team's personal insignia: A three-headed dog holding a hammer in each of its jaws, lighting surround each head.

"For now, we'll avoid them best as we can. We have enough trouble without drawing the attention of Alliance personnel, but if it turns out they are here to either obstruct us, or have the same goals as us, we'll act accordingly. But for now, focus on exterminating the hostiles, and staying alive, understood?"

"Yes sir. Just another bug-hunt, eh lieutenant?" Another trooper, this time female, commented. Lieutenant Taylor nodded;

"Sure is corporal. Just be mindful, these things aren't Rachni. These things are on a whole 'nother scale. Plus, as far as research has provided, having them bleed on you is a bad idea. Molecular acid tends to be a real SOB, and we don't know how well these armor-types stack against it."

"Understood sir." She responded with military effectiveness.

"Alright people, we are twenty seconds from touchdown… I see another ship in the hangar… frigate from the looks of it… hold on, scans mark it as… the SSV Normandy. Looks like the Alliance got here first." The pilot of the shuttle called in, gaining the lieutenant's attention.

"Alright Hawkins… what of the Centurion?"

"Don't know sir… scans aren't picking it up… could be they moved to the far side of the planet, though I don't see why, they are supposed to be on a joint-op, as far as I know. Should we stay in the air or touch down?" The pilot asked, a certain anxiety filling his voice. The Kodiak wouldn't be able to withstand a surprise attack from a fully armed Turian battle-ship.

"No, we've wasted enough time. Put us down, but stay a few miles away from the port, just in case the turians show up."

"Roger that sir, setting you down." The pilot responded as he landed the shuttle on the ground, just outside Port Hanshan's main docking area. Disembarking, Taylor led his squad of six up the hill, heading towards the door leading to the interior of the port.

"Stack up. We head in single-file. Heimdahl, watch our six. Valkyrie, you're on point." He barked, ordering the female corporal to take point while the squad's long-range fighter took up rear-guard at the door. Shaking the handle, Jacob wasn't too surprised to find it locked, and far too strong for him to kick down.

"Loki, get us in. Silent." He said, ordering the team's hacker to start slicing the door. Without a word, the tech-operative moved up and started melting the frame of the door with a specially developed high-temp rod, causing the side of the door with the locks to simply melt away, allowing him to open the door without a sound.

"Alright, squad, enter and clear. If it aint friendly, it aint allowed to live." he ordered, moving in next after the corporal, call sign 'Valkyrie'. The woman in front of him was the second toughest woman Jacob had ever met, matched only by Miranda Lawson, his current love-affair. Both women were strong, independent, and their biotics packed one hell of a punch, capable of stopping a speeding Mako in its tracks. Difference just was, 'Valkyrie' never took off her helmet except to eat or shower. He had some suspicions about just how the other guys in the squad knew about that last part. Technically, these people were hardened professionals, but the folks who had labeled them as such, had obviously never seen them off duty. When not on the battlefield, these six people were like an extended family, taking care of each other, playing games and teasing. They even celebrated each others' birthdays, including their LT's, although Jacob didn't recall ever having told it to them. To this day it was still a mystery just how they knew it. Not that he minded though. Being pulled out of bed at five in the morning to eat cake made from field-rations had its own special charm, plus the enhanced LX3-biotic implants they had somehow afforded. Even with their substantial paychecks it had cost them the equivalent of an expensive skycar, or half a year's salary in total. Jacob had come to trust and think of them as a second family, and would always do his damned best to ensure they all got back home in one piece.

Moving in through the side-entrance, they came upon what was the start of the catwalk to the spaceport's docks, looking down upon the ship parked down below them. Even from above,the Normandy was an impressive sight. Jacob, as well as a few from the team, had been following the ship since it was made clear that it was out there, fighting humanity's enemies, particularly Saren and his geth.

"Alright, we keep it quiet, and we refrain from damaging that ship, clear?" Which was a key reason why he didn't want it, or its crew for that sake, harmed in any way avoidable.

"Yes sir." They all answered over the comm. Even if they were like a big, admittedly odd, family when off duty, these guys were the most professional soldiers Jacob had ever worked with when in the field, and sometimes he could still be shocked at how effective the change was. The term for it was to 'get their game-faces on', like in poker.

As they reached a ladder that extended down to the main level of the docks, on the same level as the ship, they took turns to watch the rear of whoever came after or before them, moving in a perfect unison like a machine. Without a word, Jacob waved a simple hand signal, and the team, led by Valkyrie, entered the port, somewhat prepared as to what they would face in there, given that it was mainly Cerberus's fault that the entire area had been overrun with hostile Xenomorphs. As they reached the door, none of them commented on the state of it, although they probably thought theirs, seeing the multiple scorch marks and places where concrete, as well as metal, had been melted away by the molecular acid their targets had as blood. Truly, not the most favorable enemy to face, but as far as they all knew, this would be just like cleaning out the station where the Rachni had gotten loose, thanks in particular to the Alliance soldiers who had managed to shoot the control-panel to the energy-fields, and had gotten themselves, as well as seven scientists, killed as a result.

Leading his team forward, it wasn't long until he could hear the sound of gunfire, coming from below him. With hand signals, Jacob ordered his squad to move in the general direction of the sound of firearms, now supplemented by the sound of what sounded like a fully-automated weapon going off at full speeds, as well as constant screaming. Screaming that did not come from any species he had ever seen or heard. Sneaking forward to the edge of a large plateau, he lifted his head just over a turned over table in order to be able to see just what was going on, before he would order his men to do anything that could bring attention to them.

…

**Charlie-Team**

Seven minutes earlier.

"Fuck! Shoot it, shoot it!" Garrus screams out as a bug the size of an Elcor, but with a distinct hunchback leading the thoughts to a krogan, flies through the air, followed by a veritable stream of what looks like regular aliens, rushing out of the vents, even the ones we welded shut. Those fuckers are smart enough that they let the big ones break the blocking plate off before swarming in.

Tequila and I instantly start pressing down on the triggers, letting the guns roar in the general direction of the now small horde of bugs, which is showing no signs of slowing down in appearance or hostility. I must admit: even with all the fear and adrenaline rushing through me, my body isn't slowing down in the least, seemingly knowing what to do even before I think of it. So instead of wondering about that, I just keep the gun pointed at the constant flood of black bodies jumping around to make themselves harder to hit.

"How the hell can there be this many?! Get Delta on the- shit! Just fucking die! How hard can it be to understand!?" I scream as I practically press the minigun into the group of aliens. Some of them are no more than five meters away, and keeping them at bay demands that we end up firing in bursts, as to prevent our guns from overheating. Having been alarmed by the red marker in my HUD, I reluctantly release the trigger for the gun, allowing the gun's systems to switch heatsinks. After a few seconds, I'm ready to shoot again, and I don't hesitate for even one second.

"Fall back! Into the corridor! We can cut them down in the narrow space!" Garrus yells into the comm. in a volume that almost deafens me. We all do our best to comply, but the bugs seem to know what we're trying to do, as more and more of them shift to block the route to the corridor, while others simply appear within it, making it a less than desirable place to be.

"Scratch that! Just don't let them surround us! Tequila, keep up the fire on the left side! Thomas, on the right. Wrex, help me keeping- Wrex!" Garrus shouts, and Tequila and I spin our faces just in time to see what would, at any other time, be a sight to behold: just a few feet to our left, Wrex has dropped his gun and is engaged in what is more or less a fistfight with the biggest of the aliens, sending one punch after the other into its chest, and receiving some nasty cuts in return. As opposed to me, Tequila doesn't stop to admire the view, but promptly spins up her gun and send the big bug staggering to its right after having been on the receiving end of hundreds of accelerated grains of superheated metal. Taking a few seconds to wrap my head around what just happened, I'm faced with one of the regular ones coming a little too close for comfort. Actually it gets too close for me to use the minigun as a firearm, and I'm forced to use it to try and parry the tail that suddenly comes at my head, missing just enough so that I can hear a dry scraping sound in my head as the blade cuts across the helmet, probably leaving a deep gash in it, seeing what their tails tend to do to steel. Lifting up the gun again, and mainly using my artificial arm, I shove the big away with enough force to send it reeling backwards, where after I bring the spinning minigun to bear at it, leaving the creature as an acidic hole in the ground, only with the head and hands remaining, as well as a still writhing tail.

"Fuck you!" I scream at the corpse as I stare at it, resulting in a new Xenomorph slashing at me, leaving a shallow but still large, gash across my chest-plate. I send a kick at the fucker, causing it to step back a bit, but not much else. Instead, seeing as it's too close for the gun, I use the rapid-fire minigun as a club, smashing it into the Xenomorph's 'chest', resulting in it caving in and sinking to the floor with screams of agony. At least as far as I can tell. Not really that I care: it can suffer all the fires of hell for all I care. As long as it dies and stays dead.

Switching the gun upwards again, I, by some insane miracle, manage to catch one of the fuckers in the mouth, just as it was about to bring down a world of pain on my face. Not being able to help a smirk which I'm sure is born more out of desperation than actually having a good time, I press the barrels further in, and with a yank I use strength in my left arm to simply break its neck, leaving the creature to slump down to the ground, looking like a pile of latex and rubber having collapsed. Seeing as there is a small pause, I manage to bring the gun up to normal height again, and let it rip, showering the wall behind the bugs with gore and acid, mostly the latter as I paint the walls with the corroding liquid and goo. Apparently, these things don't have entrails or intestines, heart or lungs. They are simply filled with the same green-yellow goo, making them even more like insects in my opinion.

"We're not doing enough damage!" Garrus yells, and looking to his position, I suddenly realize why I have been able to hold my own. Most of the bugs are focusing their effort on the others, pressing Garrus and Tequila into a corner while Wrex is attempting to use the barrel of his minigun as a haymaker, swinging it from side to side to crush as many of the bugs as he can. I don't know if his weapon broke, or if he, like me, simply found it to be more effective like that at close range.

"Hold on, I'm moving back towards you guys!" I yell into my helmet, starting to shift my fire to my left to help mow down most of the bugs surrounding my teammates. But it looks like no matter how many I gun down, no matter how fast I do it, there are always more of them ready to take their dead comrades' places, and they don't even try to slow down now, or run in circles around us. They simply charge straight at us, and I have to give up trying to help my squad as I suddenly find myself thrown backwards onto the floor by one of the bigger aliens. Before I can even try to get back up, the fucker is on me.

Having my arms strapped between its big hands, or claws, or whatever the hell they are called, the creature starts closing in on my head, opening its maw to show me its second mouth, the small set of sharp teeth placed on the retractable tongue. Fear grips me as I frantically tear my left arm from under its hand, and continue to press it against the side of the thing's head, causing it to shoot out the tongue a few inches to my left;

"Fuck! Garrus! Tequila! Wrex! Anybody help me! I can't- ARGH! fucking shit! Shit, shit SHIT!" I scream as the creature actually manages to bend its head back towards me, actually defying the synthetic muscles Emhart promised could lift five-hundred kilos. When its free hand bashes mine aside, away from its head, it opens its mouth again, ready to punch a fist-sized hole in my helmet. Out of panic, I do what can only be described as either incredibly badass, or incredibly stupid. I snap my hand forward, closing my fist on its tongue as it shoots forward towards me. The only reason I actually manage to catch it, is due to the already strained artificial muscles working at top-capacity to keep the slimy thing away from my head.

Apparently, that wasn't what it expected from its prey, and for a few seconds, I can actually hold its tongue until it snaps back again, the slippery tissue escaping my hand, and before I can grip for it, my hand is held down again, this time by the creature actually standing on it, not taking a second chance.

Seeing the mouth open again, allowing the tongue to snap its jaws a few times just above my head, some kind of eerie calm comes over me, as if accepting the inevitable. For some reason, the last thing I expected to see wasn't a flashback of Ash reciting Yeats.

_Nor dread nor hope attend  
A dying animal;  
A man awaits his end  
Dreading and hoping all;  
Many times he died,  
Many times rose again.  
A great man in his pride  
Confronting murderous men  
Casts derision upon  
Supersession of breath;  
He knows death to the bone  
Man has created death._


	29. Noveria - A band of Brothers

**Alright, just to sum it up:**

**In the last chapter, shit hit the fan and pretty much every squad ran into a problem, one kind or another. **

**Nic was scarred by a fountain and found a familar (to most of us) person dead on the ground.**

**Feltan was shown not to have any love for Quarians, or at least not trust in Tali's abilities.**

**Wrex played baseball with the bugs, and Liara had a badass moment with flaring biotics. **

**Also, Jacob turned out to command a squad of... special people.**

**Now, let's see what happens further.**

* * *

Noveria - A band of brothers

**Delta-Team**

_Two seconds before separation from squad._

"Let go of him you fucker!"

Sev was just barely hanging on by Scorch's legs as the bug pulled his brother into and through the vent systems, ignoring the extra ballast as it continued tearing away at his brother still body, not even stopping to check if the clone it was dragging was still alive or not. It also seemed to completely ignore the second clone's shouting and cursing, probably taking it for the panicked screams of its prey. With tears forming in his eyes, and constant pain from the odd angle from which his arm was being pulled in, Sev gritted his teeth and asked whatever divine powers that existed, not to save his life, but to let him kick enough ass for Scorch to get out alive.

"I said: LET GO OF MY BROTHER!" He now screamed, using his free arm to attempt to reach for his handgun, only to find the entire holster torn to shreds, with no gun anywhere near him. In the end, all he could do was to hold on, and not let the alien creature escape with his brother.

After what seemed like an eternity of pain and cursing, both he and Scorch, whom had yet to awaken as he didn't utter more than a weak grunt, were sudden tossed into a freefall from what turned out to be a vent in the ceiling of a room, landing in the midst of what could almost pass as the inside of a Geonosian hive, seeing as it was too large for him to see the end of it, while being filled with pillars made from the same material as the one coating the corridors.

Having shaken of the sense of the entire world spinning, Sev managed to stand on one leg, using his other knee as support. Slowly getting up, he dared not look up from the ground as he felt sure there would be one of the monsters from before, ready to crack open his head and spill his brains all over the floor.

Having stood like this for a few moments, he finally looked up, but instead of facing instant death, he faced what he himself would have called far more bone chilling. Slowly closing and opening his eyes in slow then quick repetition, he finally was able to make sense of what he saw in front of him.

"Mother of… force…" He managed to mutter as he saw just what the pillars in front of him were. Stepping closer to one of them, he was confirmed in his suspicions as he recognized a human face in the material. The person, a man in his late years, was scarred and frail, face covered in blood and grime, but he was alive.

Probably noticing the nearby presence, the man slowly raised his head, laying eyes on the armored figure in front of him. Instead of the hopeful look in his eyes the battle-worn clone had hoped to see, it was a look of dread and fear, as well as a look of sorrow that made even the heart of the otherwise so cynical trooper collapse upon sight. Noticing that more of the man's body was actually free, Sev could see that only the arms and legs were sealed up. The rest of the man was somewhat free, with the torso completely untouched by the thin layers of grime and hardened excrements.

"P-please… hel- help my daughter!" He pleaded, gesturing in the direction of what Sev recognized as a human woman, somewhere in her twenties. Sev also noticed the large bloody hole in the woman's chest, looking like something had exploded outwards inside her body and given her a relatively slow and quite painful death. Turning his head back to the old man, Sev could feel the inner voice saying that he should save his brother first, but another voice was shouting that he had to save these people, however many there might still be alive in the room. That was also when he finally looked around for good, discovering how the room stretched on for what looked like miles, and filled to the brim with pillars consisting of the same as the one in front of him.

"I… can't…" He finally managed to say, although his voice came out so low he was surprised that the old man even heard it. The look in his eyes grew ever more desperate;

"N- no… No, you have to help her! Look, she's almost free, she just needs help, that's all!" The man insisted, yet again nodding towards the corpse of the woman. Realization then dawned upon the clone: The man in front of him had gone mad, believing his dead daughter to be on the verge of escaping. Looking back at the corpse, Sev noticed what looked like a big leathery egg, placed right in front of the woman's face. It looked like the sides had been peeled slightly off, allowing the top of it to open. Understanding what had happened; Sev returned his eyes to look at the man in front of him again, noticing an open egg here as well. Next to the man, a half meter next to him, he picked up the dead remains of one of those hand-like creatures he had seen in the movie. Looking back at the old man, he could see some faint marks on his neck.

"Did… did you have this on your face?" He gently asked the man. As gently as a two-meter hardened trooper sporting the mentality of a serial-killer could that was. The man didn't seem to hear him, as he just continued a frantic nodding and mumbling. Having received a short temper from birth, Sev did the only thing he knew worked on most crazies. He slapped him.

"Hey! I asked if you had one of these…" He said, shoving the dead creature in front of the man; "on your face."

"M-maybe… but you have to help Maria… help my daughter… she's right over-"

"She's dead. And if you don't let me help you, so will you be soon as well."

"Dead? No… no she isn't dead… we both had that thing on us… nasty… choking feeling… and I'm fine… no, she's not dead."

"Listen… I've had one fuck of a day, and I want to save you and anyone else in here, but you have to help me too." Sev repeated, his voice becoming desperate as the sounds of something big moving around made it clear that he wasn't the only thing in the room.

"But you have to- to save her first… She's not dead… mm, not dead… not dead…" The man rambled on, showing no signs of actually listening to what Sev said. Shaking his head, Sev looked around and found what he looked for. Picking up the yellow creature from before, Sev pushed it into the face of the man, practically placing it on his face. He was rewarded with a terrified scream as the man snapped out of his rambling and seemingly had some kind of flashback;

"NO! Not again! No no no no no no no! I don't want to! No, stop!" Sev finally removed the facehugger again, and gripped the man's chin with an armored gauntlet.

"Now, I'm going to ask again: Did you have one of these on your face?" He asked, and finally seemed to get through to the man. He definitely nodded with fear in every movement;

"Y-yes! Yes it… it hung to me… it… strangled me… yet it let me breathe… it pushed something down my throat, as if… are you sure you can't help my daughter?" The man's eyes were full of tears as he talked, finally looking down at his chest, as if searching for any damage to his clothes.

"Sorry. She's dead. Been for a while from the looks of it. You had one of these push something down your throat? How long ago was it?" He asked, all the while keeping an eye on the still unconscious form of his brother next to him.

"A… I think… a few hours. Impossible to keep track down here… can't… heh, can't even see my watch… expensive piece of crap… doesn't help me now, does it?"

"A few hours… okay, there might still be hope. I think it takes about nine to ten hours for… for you to die from it, and if we can get out of here and find you some help, we can perhaps save you." Sev said, risking instilling some hope in the man. Instead, he just received a head-shake;

"No… no I have nothing to live for if she's dead… there could be others still alive in here… help them instead." Sev was pretty taken aback by this response, but instead of protesting, he nodded.

"Alright… I'll see what I can do." He said, getting up.

"Wait… what is your name?" The old man asked. Stopping to look the man in the eyes, Sev swallowed lump.

"I'm Delta-Oh Seven… But you can call me Sev." He said, returning to check on Scorch. Kneeling down next to his brother, he started slapping him on the helmet, to check if he could wake him up.

"Hey… Hey Bro, wake up. We've got some work to do, and I can't do it without your help, so get your ass up, or I'm leaving you here." He said, finally getting some reaction in the form of Scorch moving his hand to his helmet, probably trying to massage a sore temple;

"_Osi'kyr_** (Damn)**… what happened?" Scorch muttered, slowly getting up in a seated position.

"One of the bugs knocked you out cold, and I ended up in a tug-of-war, with you as rope… then we were dragged away from the others, and ended up here."

"Wow… sounds like I missed out on something… Liara, Fixer and Boss here too?" Sev could only mentally sigh, still not understanding how Scorch could sound positive when they had just been dumped in a place that could have made General Yoda crap his… whatever he was wearing under that robe.

"Nah, I think they are still up there somewhere. Don't worry about your blue princess: she'll be safe with them."

"Fuck you and you sense of humor…" Scorch just muttered before looking around; "So… what's the plan?"

"Seeing as we're in the devil's den, I would normally say get the fuck out, but there seems to be some of the people from the port still alive in here, so you help me get those out who are alive, and we all get the hell out of here… but one thing first." Sev said, absentmindedly checking if he still had his grenades fastened to his belt. All but one seemed to have followed the gun in being lost somewhere in the vents.

"What?"

"I dislodged my shoulder hanging on to you… care to pull it back straight?"

"Sure… but I'm going to slap you if you fart when I do it." Scorch said, getting to his feet where after he got a grip on his brother's shoulder, and pulled it in place. Sev merely grunted as the bones reconnected with each other at the joint, flexing and rolling his arm for a few seconds;

"Alright, get to work. You free them, and I keep a lookout. Something else is down here, and it aint human… or any friendly type of E.T." He said, as they moved in between the pillars, checking each person they came across, finding the room filled to the brim with aliens and humans alike.

"You know Sev… I'm sorry I smacked you back on the ship…" Scorch said as he shook his head, having come across a turian whose chest seemed to have suffered from an internal explosion.

"Nah, don't be. I was a bit pissed, blame Wrex and his habit of drinking… and I guess I might have been a little jealous." The last words were said with a hint of embarrassment to them, causing Scorch to stop dead in his tracks.

"What, you like her as well?"

"Heh… who doesn't? I mean, there's a reason the entire galaxy loves her species… sexy as hell. Still, I guess it's not as serious as you. But yeah, I could do her, in case you decided you weren't interested." Sev responded, letting the head of a human fall down as he proved to be quite dead.

"Vode… I hate you kind of joking, you know that?"

"Who said I was joking?"

"Never mind… found any live ones yet?"

"None… you?" Sev asked as he moved to the next person, a walled up amphibian, what people called a Salarian or something. There didn't seem to be a hole in his chest, so Sev actually got his hopes up for once.

"Hey Scorch… I think I might have one over here…" Sev whispered into his comm. His brother silently walked over to join in.

"Hmm… scans show he's still alive… try waking him." Scorch suggested. Sev nodded, and kneeled down to pat the unconscious Salarian on the cheek.

"Hey, hey frog-dude. Wake up." Sev said as he repeatedly clapped and patted the alien.

"Eh? Mmm? Where… how… where am I? What happened?" Finally, they had found someone who was alive, and seemingly not insane.

"Easy. Take it easy. We're here to help. What's your name?" Sev said, changing to as friendly a tone as he knew how.

"I… I'm Padok Wiks… STG. You heard our distress-signal?"

"Yeah, the SSV Normandy is here along with the TSF Centurion. We're gonna get you out of here. But first you have to-"

"Let me guess… answer if I had one of the carriers on my face? Yes I did, and no, I'm not infected. For some reason they can't use Salarians as hosts. Probably due to our metabolism, the extreme rate of our bodies' reaction. Our anti-virus and immune systems are probably too fast-paced for the parasites to develop." The Salarian already seemed in a talkative mood, despite being walled up with bug-goo. Sev couldn't help but feel slightly impressed.

"Wait… you're saying you fro- you Salarians are _immune_ to this shit?" He asked in disbelief. Padok nodded.

"Yes. Now kindly get me down from here… or just out from this tissue and I'll help you along." He said, already issuing orders like he was in command. Sev and Scorch looked at each other, and then helped the Salarian getting out of the goo. Rubbing his sore wrists, Padok Wiks looked around;

"How many others so far?"

"Only you… how did you end up here?" Scorch answered, checking for his sidearm. He was reassured when he found it to still be attached to his waist.

"We were holed up inside the hotel. We tried to barricade ourselves, but the bugs still came through. Before we knew what was happening, most of the people were either dead or taken. Then, I was passing under one of the vents in the ceiling, got grabbed and ended up here. A few hours ago, I threw up what I believe was the remains of the parasite."

"Wait, how many were yo- you were the guy who sent the distress call! Now I remember. Padok Wiks of the STG. You said you were somewhere under thirty people right?" Scorch asked, finally having grasped the situation, earning a tired sigh from his brother.

"Yes. Me and a Krogan were the only ones with actual military experience… the guards were just… well they didn't know how to handle something like this." The Salarian said, before Scorch placed a hand on Sev's shoulder;

"Sev, if your comm. still works, try contacting the others." Sev could have slapped himself for not thinking about that earlier. Tapping the comm. on his wrist, he tried contacting the others;

"This is Delta-Oh Seven reporting in. I've joined up with 62, and we've ended up in some kind of chamber with lots of dead people. I repeat: lots of casualties. We've found and recovered one Padok Wiks of the STG, as well as discovering that Salarians seem to be immune to whatever is put inside them. Anyone copy?" Sev said, waiting for a response. It came sooner than he expected

"This is Captain Jane Shepard, Baker-team. We've found and passed a barrier leading into the hotel. Lot of blood, as well as a few bodies. Most are Salarian. Can you confirm if Wiks was staying in the hotel?"

"Roger that. Wiks says he and a bunch others had barricaded themselves in there, but that the bugs found some way in anyway."

"Alright. We're cleaning up in the hotel, re-sealing the vents. Can you find your own way out?"

"We'll try. Can't promise anything though. Got any word from the others?" Sev asked, tentatively looking around in the room as Scorch and Wiks searched for more live ones.

"Able-team has reached the garage without trouble. We've lost contact to Charlie-team, though no red life-signs, they are fifty-percent blue. I was going to send your group to assist, but I haven't been able to get through to Boss, Liara or Fixer… I'll see if John can divert some people to help, though I doubt he would like getting more split up than we already are… if not me and my team are heading back to assist." Jane said through the comm. as Sev felt his spirit fade. Boss could always answer the comm., even under heavy fire. Something must have worsened the situation since they couldn't respond.

"Alright… can you somehow get a fix on my position?"

"Wait a minute… hold on. Alright, you… damn, you are pretty close to Charlie's position, you know that?"

"Not really, spent the last ten or so minutes being hauled through the vents… but give us directions and we'll try and get there. Oh, and do tell the rest of Delta we're fine. Else Scorch's little princess is gonna wet her panties in fright." Sev added as soon as Scorch was too far away to hear him."

"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that last part… okay, let's see… north of you there should be a door… about normal size. See it?" Jane asked. Sev looked around, and spotted the door, about one hundred meters away from him.

"Yeah, got it. Alright, I'll radio back when we need more guidance. Oh Seven out." Sev said, cutting the link. Looking back at his brother, Sev could see that Scorch and Padok Wiks were looking at something in one of the pillars. He quickly closed the distance to find out what they were looking at.

"- Go home! I don't wanna- I don't wanna- help me! Where's my mom? I want my- it hurts!" Sev's blood froze, as he recognized what was the sound of a scared child. Thoughts raced through his mind as he slowed down; almost afraid of what he would see when he arrived.

"Easy kid, easy. We're going to get you out of here. What's your name?" Scorch asked while working on tearing someone, the kid obviously, out of the pillar.

"Bashír. I'm - I'm Bashír Parrasini. Where's my mom? I want to go home!" Reaching the group, Sev saw the boy, and his surroundings. He immediately felt his heart drop as he spotted the tell-tale dead bug lying next to the kid's pillar. _It's too late… we're too late…_ he thought, feeling a lump rise in his throat.

"Bashír, listen to me, alright? We're gonna get you out of here, okay? We're going to get you someplace safe, and we're going to find your mother, alright? But then you have to be strong, okay?" Scorch said, probably attempting to comfort the kid, although child-care had never been part of the commando-program.

"Indeed. We need to get as many survivors as we can before-" Padok started, but was cut off as a ear-piercing scream tore through the room, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps coming their way. Looking around the pillar, Sev spotted the silhouette of a Xenomorph. At least, he was pretty sure it was a Xenomorph. Only problem with that theory was that this one was far too big to be a Xenomorph. It was the size of an Aklay, at the very least. Dropping back into cover behind the pillar, Sev sought for the exit, and wasn't exactly excited about it when he discovered that the exit lay behind the big creature coming toward them. He grasped for his gun out of habit, but found it to be missing again. Looking at the scene in front of him, Scorch having picked up the kid in his arms, and Padok Wiks supporting himself against the pillar, Sev saw how their window of opportunities was closing uncomfortably fast.

"Alright. Scorch, I'm going to borrow your handgun for this one. Padok…" Sev said as he snatched his Brother's pistol from his holster before he could even protest.

"Yes?"

"Scorch is gonna carry the kid. We don't have time to look for more people. Sorry, but that's how it is. Now, I assume you have some kind of self-defense?"

"Of course. The creatures didn't take my Omni-tool. I can send an electrical current at a target at-"

"Yeah yeah, that will do. Listen… you get my brother and that kid to safety, or I'm gonna find you, cut your head off and piss in your throat, understood?" Sev sneered, although it was more due to the stress of the situation than his dislike of the Salarian. Under normal circumstances he would probably have received a bullet from the STG for speaking like that, but instead the Salarian simply nodded.

"Sev… what's the plan?"

"Alright… when I give the signal, you guys strafe to the left and avoid that big fucker. Head for the door and be ready to seal it the second I follow. Got it?"

"Wait, Sev you're not thinking of-" Scorch started, but Sev cut him off;

"Alright, now! Run you fucktards!" He shouted, practically scaring his two comrades off. He then made sure they were following his plan, before stepping out of cover himself, facing the big bug armed with but a handgun. _I'd like to see Cody pull this shit off…_ He thought before initiating his own plan;

"Hey! Hey UGLY! I'M RIGHT HERE! COME AND GET ME!" He screamed at the big alien to get its attention. However, it seemed to have spotted much slower and closer prey as it turned its head, which turned out to consist of a huge scaly shield-like appendix extending backwards from its head. Seeing as his opponent had spotted Scorch and the Salarian, Sev saw no other option than to raise the gun and fire. The second he pressed the trigger, he was rewarded with a blue bolt of plasma, flying through the air I what seemed like slow-motion before it impacted on the body of the alien, causing it to scream in pain and rage, and turn its head towards the pesky fire-flinging opponent who dared interrupt its hunt.

"Yeah, that's right, this way you son of a bitch! I'm right here!" He shouted as he fired off bolt after bolt from his gun, allowing the alien to run closer and closer before he finally started running around it, narrowly dodging as its tail was sent as haymaker against him, crashing into one of the pillars behind him and causing it to collapse, killing who or whatever was in there, if the person wasn't dead already.

"That's the best you can do? I've met droids who presented more of a challenge!" He shouted as he fired off another bolt, this time hitting one of the claws, sending it flying off as it was separated from the hand by a speeding orb of superheated blue plasma. It screamed in rage and pain as it probably watched the finger-like claw sail through the air.

"What's the matter? You don't like when the little guy is shooting back?!" He shouted as the alien started running towards him with its head lowered as if it wanted to ram him. Which, when he jumped to the side, turned out to have been exactly what it was planning all along. But instead of squishing the clone, it ended up ramming one of the pillars, causing it to crumble on top of it, momentarily showering it with boulders the size of the Sev. Seeing as it was otherwise occupied, Sev turned and made for the exit, thinking himself in the clear.

He was brought back to reality when he failed to hear the sounds of the alien breaking free, and was instead sent flying into one of the pillars when the alien managed to catch up to him and hit him with a swipe of its claws. Sev didn't even get to scream before he hit the pillar with a sickening crash, feeling multiple of his ribs break in the process. That was also when his comm. lit up again;

"Hey Sev, we're at the door. Where are you?" Scorch's voice sounded through the comm. he sounded more than just a little worried, having probably heard the screaming and the crashes.

"Ugh… I'll be right…" He started, then began coughing, feeling a hot liquid pouring from his mouth, as well as his breathing becoming more troubled. Logical conclusion: His lungs had been punctured.

"Sev? I didn't hear that last one… come on man, don't leave me hanging like this!" Scorch's voice became even more frantic now.

"Hey… Padok, you still there?" He sneered through his teeth, feeling each movement becoming more and more difficult to perform.

"Yes, I'm helping Scorch and the kid get up the stairs from the door. What is it?"

"Listen… I'm not going to… I'm going to find another way out. Seal the door." He coughed the last words out along with a small shower of blood that showed up on the inside of his visor.

"Are you sure? There are no other ways lead-"

"I said: Seal the fucking- fucking door!" I won't have it following you guys!" Sev shouted, feeling as the cracked and broken ribs caused his nerves to flare up, making him clench his jaw as tears started forming in his eyes. While he couldn't hear anything from the comm. for a few seconds, he could clearly hear the sound of the big bug moving in for the kill, its heavy footsteps echoing in the room.

"Alright… but you better get out as well, or I'm coming back for you!" Sev could clearly hear the sound of fear and dread starting to fill Scorch's voice. _No… you won't…_ Sev thought as he turned the comm. off and turned around on his back to face the creature, suddenly finding himself face to face with it, less than a meter between their heads. Sev looked down on his own body, and quietly observed how his armor had cracked multiple places, and how the bacta-dispensers in his armor had been crushed, leaving a pale blue-colored liquid seeping from his armor. Not the best sign. Looking up again, he slowly took his remaining grenade in hand, priming it. The bug hissed at him, planting its claws on his body as it probably made ready for a 'kiss'.

"Damn… you… you're even…ugh… uglier up close." He muttered as he held the now live grenade in front of him, watching the colored dots decrease in numbers as they neared zero. The bug seemed strangely mesmerized by the shining lights, and didn't even get to react as the lights vanished and the grenade went off, destroying the majority of the room.

…

Noveria, Port Hanshan.

**Mjolnir-six**

Leaning over cover, Jacob could see the situation getting worse by the second. The ground team below him, consisting of, from what he could see, four people. Though one of them, a human wielding a minigun similar to the one 'Blue-tooth' sported, seemed like he was having some trouble firing his gun faster than the xenos could replace each other. As it became apparent that his squad had trouble, it looked like he at first tried assisting them, but was then forced to guard his own ass, as more and more of the creatures started focusing on him instead of his team, cutting him off with a wall of bodies. Sliding back into cover, he signaled his people to take up firing-positions along the ledges, allowing them to rain down fire on his command. Satisfied with their positions, Jacob looked over the ledge again, only to discover that the situation was getting worse by the second… again. The Krogan in the group had been pressed into using his minigun as a club, sweeping two or more creatures away with each swing, but still receiving lots of close-encounters. The Turian and the woman in the group had been forced together, and were practically spraying and praying as there wasn't the slightest chance they would be able to miss a hostile in the mass of bodies. Looking to find the last human, he saw him being overpowered by one of the biggest of the creatures, fighting an already lost, but still impressive hand-to-hand fight with it, even knocking it on the side of the head and, from what Jacob could see, grabbing onto its tongue when it attempted to pierce his helmet with it. That's when he had seen enough;

"Mjolnir, open fire!" He bellowed, and leaned over the table himself to join in on the sudden rain of incendiary ammo that started raining down on the hostile creatures, catching both them and the defenders off guard. Jacob didn't dare shoot at the big alien, seeing as it was directly above the man, and he knew what the blood of the creatures did to people, even when in armor. Shifting his fire to help take some of the pressure off of the turian and the female soldier next to it, he almost thought his eyesight was going bad from the acidic fumes when he noticed an eerie green glow in the edge of his vision. Looking back to the man under the big bug, he nearly dropped his rifle when he saw what was happening. It just all happened _so_ _fast_.

One second, the man was about to be speared by a razor-sharp tongue, the next he had not only thrown off the bug, but was hovering a foot above the floor as he sent the creature, being about the size of really big Elcor, and probably one of the ones spawned from one, sailing through the air as a rocket, smashing it against the opposing walls while both it and he were coated in green shimmering lights.

Jacob Taylor wasn't sure what he was supposed to look at first. The giant alien creature smashing against the walls while coated in green light? The fact that a single person below him was radiating said green light while pouring it from his palms, seemingly drowning the creatures surrounding the remainder of the man's team? Or the fact that that there was a veritable ocean of dead black bodies strewn over the floor around the team, making it look like they had been painting the floor, not firing at aliens. Nevertheless, he broke from his trance and ordered his team to keep the fire up, hoping to kill the last creatures without any casualties, other than those already sustained by the others' team, if anyone had been killed prior to his arrival.

Seeing as the last of the creatures finally disappeared down the vents, he ordered his team to cease fire, inwardly hoping their little timely rescue would buy them some credit with the ones they had just rescued. Still, he hadn't recovered from the shock of seeing what he could only describe as green biotics throwing something _that _big. Or that fast for that matter. It even had different characteristics than regular biotic energy. It almost looked like a giant hand was doing the work, not biotics. Jacob could only gulp as he watched the person in center of it all, the armored-up man with a broken minigun hanging by his waist, slowly touching down on the ground and promptly collapsing, as if the power-show had taken a too strong toll on him.

Jacob decided now would be a good time to introduce himself, but decided to let his team stay where they were: Visible but in cover and having the high-ground. Signaling his men to stay put, he slowly got to his feet, only to find himself aimed at by the very people he had just saved;

"Hey, hey it's okay. We're friendly." He said as calmly as he could, all the time keeping an eye on the unconscious biotic on the ground. The woman, also sporting a minigun, was busy tending to him, probably checking for any injuries and in the process of removing his helmet to check properly. After a few tense seconds, the turian, obviously being the leader of the group, motioned for the others to lower their weapons.

"Thanks. I don't know if we would have lasted any longer without your intervention… who are you by the way, and why are you wearing _our_ armor?" He said, pointing at the phase-II armor Jacob sported, including the helmet obstruction Jacob's face from view.

"We… we're here to assist in containing the biological threat currently causing panic and drops on the stock-market. Special-troops, or just the clean-up squad, if you prefer." Jacob said, not having been prepared to have a cover-story ready.

"Hmm… take off your helmet. I don't trusts someone I can't see… and Tequila, how's he coming?" The Turian asked, turning to look at the woman tending to the downed soldier. Having messed a bit with her Omni-tool, she looked back up at her commanding officer;

"Don't really know… whatever he just did, it pretty much knocked him out cold, but that's about it. Give him a slap or electro-shock, and he should be good to go." She said, sounding worried, and at the same time amazed. Jacob couldn't quite help the feeling that these people were just as surprised at the display of biotics as he himself was.

"Sorry to… ask, but what the hell was that just before? Biotics don' glow green… at least not any kind I know off." Jacob. He didn't really like the look of mistrust on the Turian's face, but luckily, before the situation could go from good to bad, the soldier on the ground groaned, and started to move.

…

_Fuck… FUCK! That hurt! Roku, just what the hell just happened? Feels like someone just took a burning shit in my blood veins!_

"_I apologize, but it was the only way to save your life… and that of your squad. I overloaded your nervous systems, but I've managed to repair it to the degree where you've lost part of your olfactory senses… should only last for some hours, until I can get it repaired completely, but you might eventually experience some heavy migraines… sorry."_

"_Argh…. Don't be, I guess… just… that was about the closest call I've had yet… that wasn't self-inflicted I mean… by the way, _what_ did you just do?"_

"_I… took over your body. This time completely, hence the stronger pain than on Feros, or when I simply speak to others. I used you to channel a bit of my power, as much as was possible without ripping you to shreds that is. Now, get up and try finding some tissue paper or some ice… your nose is bleeding."_

"_Thanks… I noticed." _I can feel my head spinning around as if on a flying, spinning and exploding boat in high waters, and it isn't as funny as it sounds. As I move, I can feel how every muscle in my body is sore to the point of direct pain. It feels like I've been through a thousand push- and pull-ups at once, and then been kicked by a krogan.

"Thomas! Try not to move too much… Damn, that was one hell of a stunt you pulled back there. How did you do that? Thought you weren't a biotic?" The voice of Tequila cuts through my head like a razor, and I slowly move my hands to my head as if I can block the sound from entering my ears.

"Not… not so loud… thankyouverymuch… My head is… killing me… what… what happened?" I ask as I slowly, with the help of Tequila, get to a seated position from where I can slowly start opening my eyes, all the while the corporal is injecting needle after needle in my legs, and I'm too wasted to even be scared of them.

"Honestly? I've got no idea… you just started glowing green, threw the big bug across the room and squashed it against the walls, then you started fucking hovering and sweeping up the remaining bugs… apparently with the help of some new people who just arrived… don't know who they are, but they helped save our hides, so… why don't you stand up and say hello for yourself?" She says, and before I can even protest, I'm being hoisted to my feet, feeling the headache pound my brain into scrambled eggs.

"Fu- Please Tequila… not that fast… my head… gods, I could kill for some Pinex or a strebsil right now… or just five gallons of tea, if you've got that on you?" I say, trying to see if a bit of humor can help the headache buzz off. Instead, it remains, and I'm left with looking at a man in what looks like our own armor, armed with an Avenger rifle, and a handgun.

"Who… shit… who are you?" I ask as my headache continues its relentless pounding.

"LT Taylor, cleanup squad six, as we're called." The man says, and the voice is the same as a week ago. _What the hell are the odds for this?_

"Jacob?" I ask, not sure if I'm even right, but not really giving a fuck all the same. The only one in this squad who doesn't know about my little meeting with him and Miranda, as well as that Asian dude who was with them, is Tequila, and she doesn't know enough about Cerberus yet to hate them like the rest of us. I look through the visor the man has in his helmet, and true enough, a pair of brown eyes are widened in shock. Probably over having been recognized. Frankly I'm surprised the others haven't recognized his voice by now. They were at the meeting too.

"Who… wait, it's you! Thomas Fisher!" He says, slowly unfastening his helmet and letting it come off his shoulders. He looks a lot different now, clad in armor and everything. Next to me, I can hear Garrus almost choke on his tongue as he points a handgun at Jacob, followed by a low growl;

"So… cleanup-squad eh? Why am I not surprised to see Cerberus here? Let me guess, these things didn't get off Therum… you transported them off, you sick fatherless assholes. And now you are going to tell me that you released them on this planet, as what: an exercise? Too bad civvies got caught in the middle huh? So I suppose the 'clean-up' part is actually removing witnesses, am I right?" Garrus sneers, borderline pressing his gun at Jacob's temples. Before I can even take a step to intervene, a bright blue blur emerges in front of Garrus and knocks him on his ass, causing his gun to fly through the air before said blue blur quickly catches it, returning to Jacob's side in the form of another armored person, this time a woman. She returns the gesture by pointing the gun at Garrus, which in turn causes Wrex, now having caught up with the rest of the group, to snatch her from behind, holding her in a dead-lock, not budging an inch no matter how much she kick and punches him in the groin. Suddenly, as Tequila lifts her own weapon, several armored figures appear on the ledge above us, all training their guns one way: at us.

"Drop your weapons!" One of them shouts, making his point with a red dot on Tequila's forehead.

"Drop yours of the chick here dies!" Wrex bellows, making his point by hugging her a little tighter. This is going wrong far too fast. The fuck do I do? I can't make them stop on my own! What the hell do I-

"_**Drop your weapons, all of you!"**_ Everything, except for that. _Fucking great Roku, just great! Now Cerberus will find out about you, and I end up with my brain on a platter after all!_

"What the holy fuck was that?!" Some of the troopers shout, pointing guns at different points of the room, all in vain as none of them seem to recognize the voice coming from me. _And let's keep it that way!_

"_If you say so…"_

Despite not dropping their weapons, everyone suddenly seems to have more crucial plans than to point said guns at each other, which I'm pretty impressed with actually. Luckily, Garrus manages to save my hide, probably thinking the same as me;

"Thank you. That was merely a mike. Now, Wrex if you would please let go of the nice woman, and if said nice woman would care to return my gun to me, we could perhaps start over?" He says, although I can see the way his eyes move, rapidly to and fro, it's clear he's nervous about the implications as well.

Slowly, Wrex lets go of the woman who almost collapses on the ground, but quickly gets up again and kicks the gun to Garrus's feet where after he picks it up, and the figures on the ledge, four in total I think, also seem to lower their weapons.

"Thank the Divines… that was too close…" I whisper into my comm. Tequila just nods, seemingly at nothing, but still agreeing with me. My head is slowly turning for the better, though Roku popping out didn't exactly help things along with my headache. On the other hand, I might not have a head now, if not for his intervention. I decide to try out my skills at diplomacy, seeing as Garrus doesn't exactly trust Jacob. Which I can understand, He did come here and presented himself as someone he wasn't… I think;

"Alright, let's agree to that. Now, why don't we all calm down, and refrain from pointing boom sticks at each other, hmm? I'd say that would be a good start." I say while I'm taking off my helmet and trying to sound as friendly as I can. Causing the woman next to Jacob to sigh;

"Sir… this guy is full of crap, he sounds like a fucking kid." She says, turning to face me, not removing her helmet; "Just how old are you?" She says, sounding a bit pissed over dealing with what she takes for a green newbie. That's pretty fucking annoying , actually;

"Old enough to have collected more scars than you, done more messed up shit than you and smart enough to frustrate miss Lawson, so don't come here… and take me for some green rookie, alright? I've seen shit you wouldn't even be able to see in your nightmares, gone through hell in more than one way, and killed things more hostile than anything else in this universe. Thank you for the attention, now kindly tell me one thing: What are you and your guys doing here, that is so important they send Jake here on a mission?" I ask, getting a bit of my frustration out, and taking off my helmet in the meantime, showing off my scars. I think the one across my eye makes an impression, as well as the yellow tint in the artificial eye. However, it's not her but Jacob who answers me;

"Okay… that was some unexpected info… but alright… I wouldn't be too surprised if it turned out you knew a bit about what we are doing here, so… squad, stand down. We're all friends here." He says turning to face the remainder of his men, one of them holding a still spinning minigun pointed at Wrex. The sounds of weapons being put on safety is one of the most reassuring I've heard all day.

"Yeah, I think Garrus just about covered it… I must say, I'm pretty disappointed Jacob. I always took you for a descent man, but if you are here to kill the witnesses…" I say, not being able to hide the bile in my voice. Jacob has apparently done a one-eighty, marching in here to shut up witnesses with the business-end of a gun.

"What? No! At least… no, we're here to contain the threat. 'six' isn't a shut-em-up kind of squad, we're SpecOps."

"Then let me guess. Garrus was right that you guys tried playing gods, like with a certain project Doctor Archer is working on, and it failed… am I closing in?" I say, feeling a deep satisfaction from the look in his eyes. Apparently Operation Overlord isn't known to more than the top-Cerberus staff for the time being, and judging by his expression, Jacob is among the few who knows about it.

"That's… the jest of it, yeah. We're here to rescue some scientists from one of the facilities… but we didn't expect things to be this bad. They might be dead for all we know, but we've still gotta press on and try." He actually sounds sincere. Okay, I guess he isn't here to kill witnesses after all. _Thank the Gods… I'd hate for him to become a douche…_

"Hmm… Well Garrus, you're in charge here, what do you say we do?" I ask, turning to face the Turian who looks like he is walking the border between wanting to shoot the Cerberus people, and offering to help them.

"Hmm… this is too big for me to decide. I'm calling the commander, see what he says." He says, turning on his comm.

"Yeah, that would… probably… wait… fuck! No Ga-" I try to stop him, imagining how John is going to react when he learns there are Cerberus people here, and even better, that all of this is most likely their fault. And that I met with them!

"Hey Commander? Charlie-squad here… yes, we're fine. Saved in the neck of time as humans say… I think. Anyway, we've… come across some pretty interesting people… yes… no, they're not local security… better come here and see for yourself… the garage? Well, we're supposed to maintain this area until Delta arrives… what?! When? How bad…" Garrus is working himself up, and I can't help but get a bad feeling about what he's going to tell us when he gets off the comm.;

"Yes, I did notice how we're having a red dot, but… spirits… how did it happen? …I see… try see if Jane can get into contact then, ask them what happened. We'll go retrieve the data then, and then we head for the garage to regroup…alright, Garrus out." Garrus says, cutting off the link. He doesn't say anything at first, just turns to face the wall, and punches it so hard I can hear something break;

"S'KAK! S'kak, S'kak, S'kak¸ S'kak!" He yells, repeatedly punching the wall until his gauntlets start cracking, and Wrex has to hold him to stop him;

"The hell's wrong with you Vakarian?" He asks with a worried sneer on his face.

"Fuck it… Delta was ambushed… worse than us. Now Sev and Scorch are missing, and Sev's suit has him marked dead… this is going down the shitter really fast, and… and now we need to carry out Delta's role while John sees if he can have Jane's squad help Delta… what's left of them, out of their shithole. He just can't reach her." He says, gaining a tired and weary tone. At first, I'm not quite sure I believe my ears;

"Wha- dead? But… he… how… N-no, I mean he… he can't… he's Sev for FUCKS SAKE! He can't be dead! No one's supposed to be able to die yet!" I shout, not giving a fuck if Jacob starts wondering what I'm talking about.

"Well he is! Most of Delta is wounded, and Sev is dead. We can mourn him later; we still have a job to do!" Garrus sneers back. This is too much. Reality has finally come to bit us in the ass, and shown that people die: That this isn't a game. Never was, I guess.

Sev… the badass clone with the blood-smear… dead? It's not even four hours since I saw him the last time… armored up on the Normandy…

Leaning against the wall, I slide down it, ending up sitting on the floor with both hands covering my face as I try to breathe in slowly. My headache is flaring up again.

"We… lost someone? But… this isn't supposed to be possible… not… not possible… fucking xenos… they shouldn't even be… here." I say, finally remembering just why the xenos are here: Cerberus. I look to find Jacob and the female commando still standing where they stood before, Jacob looking a bit worried. I get up, slowly and unsteadily, and walk to where Jacob is still standing. Without what I guess is any warning, I punch him in the face with my left fist, sending him staggering backwards, and the female to his left pointing her gun at me. _Like I give a shit…_

"Ow… what the hell was-" He says, looking at me in disbelief and surprise;

"-'that for'? You wanna fucking know what that was for, eh Jacob? Eh? Because of you, and your FUCKING BOSS, we've lost members of our crew, and innocent people have lost their lives here, BECAUSE OF YOU ASSHOLES! I don't care if you just saved our lives, because none of this would have happened if you fucking racist extremists hadn't experimented on xenos in the first FUCKING PLACE! But noo, you had to play gods for Arkay's sake, see if you could control some new and freaky race of bugs, and then you fucked up and thought you could just cover it up! Now… now your idiocy has costs us a team-member, cost another his brother and nearly got all of us killed! You can be fucking glad you have your little group of KKK-wannabees with you, or I'd step aside while Wrex tore you apart, or even better: do it myself!" I shout, raising my fist to punch him again, but then I think better of it, and instead send my leg flying towards his crotch. It's only because Tequila grabs me and pulls me backwards that I'm not robbing him of his ability to have kids in a single motion.

"Corporal, calm the fuck down! They saved our lives!" She orders. _Orders my ass, we're equal ranks!_

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? This is me 'calmed down' Tequila! You don't see me or Roku killing someone, do you?! No, I'm perfectly calm! If I was any calmer, I'd be five feet fucking under!"

"And I am grateful for that, but right now we can't afford to lose any additional support, not even… not even these _people_…" She says, and I can actually hear the distaste in the last words. I shake myself free from her grip;

"Fine. But I swear, if we lose even one more member of the teams… if we lose Nic or Ash… I'll simply let Roku at them. Understood?" I sneer, looking at both Tequila and the dumbstruck Jacob.

"Don't worry… if we lose Nicolai, I'll even join in." She sneers, low enough that only I can hear it. I suppose she means it.

…

Jacob could still feel the burning sensation on his feet, as well as the feeling that one or two teeth had been knocked loose. The man across from him now, looked nothing like he had done on the Citadel. The face was the same, yes, but now it was contorted in a fit of anger Jacob hadn't seen anywhere in a long time. Actually he couldn't even remember the last time he had seen someone this pissed. Even Mirada on her worst days would appear blissfully happy in comparison to the corporal right now. He could also feel how tense his own men got, as well as keeping an eye on the gun in Valkyrie's hands, aimed at said man's head.

"Fine. But I swear, if we lose even one more member of the teams… if we lose Nic or Ash… I'll simply let Roku at them. Understood?" He said, starring at Jacob with what looked like a mixture of inhuman rage, as well as a bit of fear. He had already proven to be far more capable than first assumed, especially because the info on him hadn't listed him as being a biotic, and a green-glowing biotic wasn't something the data-recorders would refrain from noting.

And then there was this 'Roku' the man kept mentioning. Jacob couldn't see anyone in the squad fitting to a description of 'being let loose' on someone, like an animal. Neither did the Normandy's crew-compliment boast anyone by that name. Yet, it seemed the corporal's team took the threat more serious than that of guns being trained on them. _What the hell is going on here?_ He thought, as he could suddenly hear footsteps rushing in from behind, and turned just in time to see a four-man squad, all but one clad in the same armor as the others, rushing towards them with weapons drawn. It consisted, from what he could see, of two humans, a man and a woman, a Quarian and a Turian. The latter wore distinctive armor, fitting for an officer of the Turian Hierarchy's fleets. About the time when they drew close enough to make out the details, the woman in the lead raised her hand to signal a stop, as well as trained her rifle on the squad of Cerberus commandos. This was getting ugly, real fast.

"Drop your weapons!" The woman shouted, pointing her rifle directly at Jacob's head.

…

Running through the facility while listening in on Charlie's comm. had proven a highly disturbing experience. Not only because she could not get into contact with John's group, and he not with hers, but also because it turned out that the very people who had created or brought the bugs to Noveria, were here as well, and were currently occupied with Charlie-squad. When she heard the sound of Corporal Fisher's fist hitting one of the operatives, the one called Jacob, a side of her couldn't help a grim smile, seeing how he had grown, not only a moral spine, but learned to throw a fist. Said side was just disappointed over not having seen it.

Still, she didn't like hearing how Thomas threatened with letting Roku, the so-called 'ghost' or spirit residing inside of his head, kill or attack the other group. It was a stupid choice of words in the heat of the moment, but Jane could understand why he had said it, especially since it was due to their bugs having killed Sev, the commando she had been on the comm. with not ten minutes ago. Rounding a corner, she came upon a new pair of corpses, both sporting the holes in the chests that were quickly becoming trend on those parts. Not even bothering to get her hopes up, Jane kneeled down next to the bodies, a man with a little girl next to him, both lying with wide-open and horrified eyes as they stared into the ceiling, trails of blood leading away from both of them, while trashing-marks in the dried blood told the story of just how painful a death they had experienced. Now Jane had a mind for punching some faces herself once she caught them, and continued her run after she had closed the eyes of the two humans, ignoring a Salarian lying some feet away, with no hole in his chest. The reason was simply: most of his head was missing, dissolved, probably by the same acid found to run in the bugs' veins, or just in their bodies generally. She did, however, offer a quick running prayer for their souls, even the Salarian's, even though she doubted they shared humanity's version of Heaven. Not that she would know. Past actions had long since banned her from going there when her life ended. It was a fact she had come to accept. It still caused her some pain though, and just made her all the more hell-bent on bringing similar swine to justice, public or covert.

"Keep it up; we're fifty meters from their po- up ahead, armed personnel, not ours." She ordered through the comm. as she raised her own gun while running, finally changing to loud-speakers;

"Drop your weapons!" She shouted, pointing her gun at the man looking most like the leader, standing relatively close to her own people, rubbing his chin.

At first, the people closest to her, the ones armored in the same way as her people, didn't react, at least not by obeying orders. Instead, they trained their own weapons on Jane and her new arrivals, while one of them had his or her gun pointed at a person she recognized as Fisher, down at the other group.

"I said drop your guns and get down on your knees Cerberus!" She repeated, turning on a small laser-dot on her rifle and letting it rest on the forehead of the supposed leader. A man she just now recognized as being the one and same she had spotted and photographed at the exchange a few days back, on the Citadel: Jacob Taylor.

Taylor looked like he was unsure of how to respond to this, seeing as he and his men were caught in something akin to a pincer move, just with no one having opened fire yet. Finally, after some tense seconds where Jane and her people had armed and aimed their guns at the opposition, ready to take them down NLT'wise, the dark-skinned man held up his hands, and signaled for his men to do the same. Even the soldier next to him, whom Jane now recognized to be a woman, complied, putting her handgun on the ground. Some exclamations were made, both from friendlies, and Cerberus.

…

"Jane! Spirits, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Garrus shouts, probably keeping his sights switching between the woman in armor, and his captain and the second-in-command of the Normandy. I've gotta admit, I'm pretty damn happy to see her as well. Even though a more cherished sight would be Nic and Ash storming in with spinning miniguns. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. And considering I just punched Jacob in the face, which is bound to get me into trouble in two years time, I guess I'm glad that Jane arrived just now. Also, it causes the lady next to Jacob to drop her gun, instead of being ready to plant a round in my head. _Yeah, I bet I scared the shit out of her with my little tale. _Best part of that one, is that it was all through.

"Captain Jane Shepard… I've never been happier to see you. Like, really. I was more scared than happy back in the med-bay." I say through the near-contact comm., watching her shake her head in what almost, for just a moment, seems like amusement.

"I know. And now we have ourselves some culprits for this whole situation." She says, letting her squad, which I'm glad to see is still whole, stand guard at the now kneeling commandos, while Wrex is lumbering up to join them, minigun in hands. It's practically a miracle that it didn't get busted like mine when he used it to plow through the bugs. _If Cerberus, Jacob included, really is to blame for Sev's death… what would you think of letting Boss be the guy leading the… interview?_

"_You're asking me?"_

"_Just… wanting to know if my idea is horseshit or a good one." _I answer, not taking my eyes of Jacob and his men, and woman, as they are being zip-tied by a krogan. I'm guessing that's why none of them are trying to fight back. Seeing as these guys are partly to blame for the state of this place, I'm actually amazed that Wrex hasn't 'accidentally' broken someone's arm or wrist.

"_I… think it sounds good. Just make sure to get it by either Jane or John before you propose it to Boss… speaking of… what do you wager John is going to do, when he learns that not only are there Cerberus-personnel here, but that they are the ones to blame for the death of one of his crew?"_

"_Nothing can be too bad, seeing as we lost Sev. As long as he doesn't maim them, I don't think anyone would mind some… education, from his side." _I 'say', not being able to contain a grim smile as the woman who just aimed at me is handcuffed, for one reason or another, a little more gently than her colleagues. Wrex is such a big softie.

"_Agree… just remember that there's a chance you're going to depend on Cerberus feeling in the mood to resurrect Jane or John after Alchera…" _Bugger… He does have a point though. Putting my helmet back on, I decide to go have a chat with Jane… and maybe Jacob. Not that I'm going to apologize, no way in hell that's gonna happen. If someone had simply been wounded: sure, I'd say sorry for trying to break his jaw. But we lost Sev. _We fucking lost Sev!_ There's no apologizing there. Hell, he should be happy I didn't kick him in the balls. Or, he should be thanking Tequila, who just now seems to be catching up to some kind of subject with Tali, who in turn is keeping her shotgun trained directly at the head of the nearest trooper. I suppose she of all here has a reason to dislike… scratch that, to _hate_ Cerberus, after what they did to her and John.

"Jane… can I talk to you for a second?" I ask as I tap her on the shoulder, pointing to a spot a bit away from the rest. She nods, following me away.

"So… I suppose I should be asking what's actually going on here, but I heard most of It through the comm. the second we were close enough. Sounds like you've become quite the pep-talker… and heavy-hitter. Just which I'd seen it when you smacked down that Taylor-guy. It's funny though, when I saw him at the meeting, he didn't strike me as the insane 'The end justifies the means' kind of guy. Granted, I didn't really get to interrogate him, so… anyway, what is it?"

"This Jacob… he's actually not _that_ bad a guy… still, what do you say, that before we venture any further… _if_ we venture any further, 'cause I sure as hell don't see any reason why we should… what do you say we allow John or Boss to… ask these guys a few questions?" I ask, and it causes Jane to open her eyes wide, probably not having expected me to come up with that kind of idea.

"Fisher… seems like conflict is hardening you a bit too fast. Though I agree we should take them into custody, I say we at least have someone keeping watch over Boss and John… in case one of them loses it. I get it, you want payback, and the bringers of all this shit are the perfect targets, I agree. But we are the Systems Alliance. Torture and killing of non-combatants and unarmed isn't part of who we are." She says, looking at the group of captives, now seated against a low wall, courtesy of our Turian officer, Feltan. Hell, she of all should hate Cerberus with a passion, seeing as they are racists and xenophobes. It's odd.

"Didn't stop you on Torfan…" I say, before I can clasp a hand over my mouth, or… the voice-emitter, that is. Suddenly, Jane's eyes narrow, and I can actually feel how the mood around us grows colder and more depressing;

"Don't… go there. I've had my fair share of devils in my past, and whatever people say or think, I've done my best to make up for my sins. Don't go make the same mistake as me. Letting hate and emotion guide you will only lead you to make the wrong choices." For a moment I thought she would have said 'lead to the dark side', but then again, Mass Effect and Star Wars never shared a fictional shelf like Star Wars apparently did with Aliens. Still, I suppose she does have a point.

"Right… I know. And sorry, I didn't mean to bring up some old wounds, especially if what you say is true, and you've made up for whatever actually transpired on Torfan. So… what, we just lock these guys up and serve them to the Alliance?" I ask, not taking my eyes off of the commandos. A few of them seem to be starring back, though the helmets makes it difficult to be sure.

"That will depend on what happens in the interview. For now we keep the tied up here, and wait for Able and Delta to return… what's left of the latter anyway. I've sent out our coordinates, as well as a priority-message."

"And… what is the message?" I ask, looking back at her.

"Basically, it's 'drop your shit and come to my position'. The actual version is a bit longer, but most of it is military jargon." She says, making to return to her place at the wall, and I just follow.

"Hmm… I suppose that's a good thing. Just one last thing before I head out… or a few meters down the hall… what did you mean by 'conflict is hardening me'?"

"When I first served with you, on Feros, you struck me as an idealistic individual, willing to be shot at and hit, before you would shoot an infected individual. Now, you're talking about torturing people who saved your ass. Admittedly, they also caused the demand for it to be saved in the first place, but still. Try and make sure you don't grow cold. I doubt Ashley would find that attractive." She says, and I swear, it sounds like there is a small knowing smile behind the visor. Nodding, and saluting, I return to where I stood before, then thinking of a better way to spend the wait, and go to lean against the railing next to Jacob, putting myself in a place between him and one of his men, a guy sporting an insignia depicting a key sliding into a lock. Not that I understand what the hell it means, but I don't really care either. Jacob is my main source of interest now. Time to find out if he really is as innocent as I somewhat hope he is, or if I should just shoot him here and now.

* * *

**Holy shit... I know, 'why you kill Sev? he was awesome!' **

**Well... I loved that guy, and it pained me to do it, but... well... yeah.**

**remember to review and all that, though at the moment I'm too tired to care much about it :)**


	30. Noveria - What now?

**Not much to say here really. I am done with scriptual exams, so there should be time again for me to post semi-regulary, seeing as I've never really posted on a regular basis, that argument might not hold much... anyway. Have any of you guys and girls even seen 'A clone apart'? With Danson? I swear that show cracks me the hell up, just too bad LucasArt, now ownded by Disney, have claimed all rights to the Star Wars universe, so for the time being, the show must go on, but can't. If, by any chance any of you people ever meet a lawyer from Disney... kick him in the balls for me. I take full legal and political blame for it.**

**Also... many of you people are probably wondering why I am hammering down on Jacob like I am, punching him and thinking about tearing him apart. Well, I've completed Mass Effect a few times now, and I knew that an unromanced Jacob ended up with Brynn. Now... I had a Shepard romance him, and expected him to be a good boy, and not a cheating douche. Guess what, surprise: He cheated. I mean, come on! Kaidan didn't cheat on a dead woman he hadn't seen for two years, and Jacob cheats on her because she took responsibility for destroying a system? **

**Well... now you know why I punched him. Felt like the slap in Citadel was far to mercyful...**

**Anyway, enjoy the next and second-last chapter on Noveria.**

* * *

Noveria - What now?

Noveria.

October 10th

19:36 (Port Hanshan time)

"Alright… they're back." Garrus says, probably spotting the five dots making up team Able, as well as the remaining three making up what's left of Delta. And we still haven't heard from Scorch. Switching my helmet back to regular visor-mode, or whatever it's called, I stand up from my seated position next to Jacob and the weird commando next to us. I swear, these guys make the actual clones look like the armor wasn't designed for them in the first place. And then there are the markings on their armor. Jacob didn't feel like chatting, probably because of the fist that met his face earlier. Can't say I regret it, but I almost feel bad for him if Boss or John get their hands on him or his men. Sighing, I look over the railing just in time to spot the eight shadows making their way across the foyer, towards our position.

I actually don't know which would be worse for them: That John got his hands on Jacob, or if Boss did it. I doubt either would care about the Geneva-convention as of now, seeing as both hate what's happened here, and they both know what organization to blame for it. Well, Boss might not, but he'll learn about Cerberus eventually.

"Welcome back Commander… Boss, Nihlus." Garrus says, then adds with a bit more solemn voice; "Any… sign of Scorch?" He asks as Boss and Fixer are the first up the ramp to our position, Liara sagging behind a few meters. I can't see the clones' faces, but she looks absolutely _destroyed_, and not just in the emotional way. Her right shoulder-armor is gone, dissolved down to her skin which looks like it has received treatment for a burn-mark. A few of the others, Tequila and, under Jane's orders, Wrex, place themselves between the arrivals and our prisoners. Not that I don't understand it, John would probably throw them all at the ceiling if there weren't any friendlies in the way, and Boss might just shoot on sight. I don't yet know what losing Sev has done to him, but I doubt he is happy about it. That's when the thought returns: 'We lost one.' We actually lost a member of the team, something that shouldn't be possible.

"No word since Sev contacted Jane… I take it you haven't heard anything either then?" He asks, turning to look at me and Garrus. For a soldier who's seen more battles than any of us, even Wrex, combined, he suddenly looks like he's seen too much. His shoulders are slumped and his walking is slow and exhausted. He constantly curls up his fists while breathing heavily, almost sounding like someone on the verge of crying.

"Damn… you think he…?" Garrus asks, looking apprehensive to utter the question that, if answered with a yes, would probably break both Boss and Liara down. They both look like shit already.

"No. No there is no way something could happen to him if Sev… if Sev made it his last will to protect him." Boss answers with a snarl, causing Garrus's eyes to widen in a sad understanding of his feelings. I guess Garrus has tried something similar once, though it was never mentioned in the game. Not in the second one anyway. Looking back to the clone, I can see how the very being of Boss is trembling, body shaking and fists tightening enough to give out the sound of synthetic leather and rubber chaffing. This guy is falling apart.

"Boss… not to be too intrusive or unprofessional, but… maybe you should sit down or something. You sound… you don't seem well." I say with an as gentle tone as I can, while still making it somewhat imperative. He seems like he is about to berate me, when Fixer then brushes past us, heading towards the hand-tied operatives. He is faced with a five-hundred kilo krogan standing in his way.

"Get…the…fuck…out…of…my…way…Wrex." He says with a voice so menacingly that it sends shivers down my spine, and he isn't even facing in my direction. Even Wrex seems, for a second, a little taken aback by the lethality in his voice.

"No can do Fix… Jane said they are not to be harmed." He says, shaking his large head, while all the time keeping an eye on the clone. Tequila is keeping a nervous eye on the two, hand lightly hovering above her handgun. Fixer doesn't even budge, keeping his face planted right in front of the old krogan's.

"Can't harm someone who's dead, _can you_?" He says, and that seems like a good place to cut him off, seeing as pretty much every single captive is staring at him. Jacob, being the only one without a helmet covering his face, looks like he's contemplating choosing between fighting the bugs with his hands tied, or taking his chances with surviving an encounter with two pissed off, combat-bred, aggressive hardened military veterans who just lost one, maybe even two brothers, to creatures bred by Jacob's boss. Can't say I envy the guy.

"Delta Four-Oh, step away from the captives!" Jane suddenly barks, appearing before us like out of smoke. Hell, even I hadn't seen her, and it's no more than five minutes since I talked with her. She's spooky when she does that. Fixer on the other hand, tears off his helmet and sends the captain an angry glare, bordering on what looks like lust for murder. _And here I always though Boss would be the one to freak out and go for a gun…_

"Oh I'm sorry _Captain,_ but I believe that John'Shepard is a commander, therefore he outranks you. If he says I can murder these _Shabuir's_ **(Assholes)**, then you don't get a say in that." Both are within an inch of each other, and it looks like a really cliché, extremely scary but still cliché, stare down, with a furious red-head on one end, and a pissed off and broken commando on the other.

"Four-Oh. I can perfectly well understand what you are feeling, bu-" Jane says with a calm but deadly voice.

"Bull! You have no idea how I'm feeling! I just lost a brother, maybe even two! What would you do, if someone just stepped up, no reason for it, and took away the people most important to you? Eh?!" He barks, and to Jane's credit she doesn't give an inch of space, pressing herself forward instead to the degree where they are almost touching noses.

"I killed them. And I still live with the sights, the sounds and the regret. I have no doubt you've taken lots of lives out there through the years, but how many unarmed captives have you ever tried butchering in cold blood? It doesn't leave you."Fuuuuuck… what the hell did she just say? _Unarmed captives? Killed them? Damn, seems like I… no, I guess it won't do any good to try and force answers from her... and we have more pressing concerns right now._

Before the situation can escalate further though, another person steps into the discussion, demanding a certain amount of respect, by sheer presence. John _is_ the commander, so I guess it's only natural;

"Fixer, I can understand your feelings, and… I share them. The people before you, these… _Operatives_…" He almost spits out the words, as if he just tasted something he didn't like; "Work for an organization called Cerberus. Seeing as they are all tied up, here's what we're gonna do. The Centurion, under the command of Feltan here, will take the rest of the prisoners and prep them for a trip back to Citadel Space. We, on the other hand, will provide their leader with some… hospitality. Rest assured, he will be well cared for, and eventually we will probably hand him over to whoever wants him and his people. Now, get up and get moving. We're heading back to the ships and then we get the hell off this shithole of a planet."

"What about Scorch? We can't just leave him here!" Boss butts in, leveling a glare at John. The Quarian nods in acknowledgement;

"Don't worry, we won't abandon him. I'm only sending a token force back to the ships, in order to secure our guests. The rest of us will mount a search-and-rescue op, tracking down Scorch and getting him home in one piece. Sounds agreeable?" John says to reassure the weary commando.

"Yes sir! Who will take the prisoners back?" He asks, snapping to a salute, even if he _is_ dead-beat tired. John looks around in a moment of pondering, then looks at me, and I get this nasty sensation that I'm not gonna like whatever's coming my way.

"Corporal Fisher… as well as… Corporal Tequila, will escort mister… what's your name again, _Cerberus_?" He asks with a loathing tone to his voice while lowering his visor to a face-level with Jacob's eyes, probably giving him the look of death. I'm not sure why, but something in the way John is looking at and speaking to Jacob and his team… gives me a bad feeling, like we're gonna break some conventions along the way. Jacob, to his credit, looks John in what I assume he believes to be his eyes, and responds without missing a beat;

"Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, service number 555125." He answers in a tone that makes me think he's been rehearsed in that sentence, in the case of capture.

"Well, mister Taylor, my name is John'Shepard. I would _love_ to give a… proper introduction, but I have to go help find some guys that your organization has put in danger's line. Just a warning: We've already lost one cherished team-member here, to your sick experiments, and if I find the other to be dead, or if we lose someone else… let's just say I hope you share the Krogans' redundant nervous system. You and your little gang of copycat-racists… you're gonna need it." He says, finishing with a low and, to be perfectly honest, pretty fucking unnerving chuckle. _Oooohh damn… this is going to end badly, isn't it?_

"_Pit a hater of Cerberus with a reputation for slicing off peoples' fingers, against a captive member of said organization, and add the fact that members of the team have died because of said organization… I agree: This could turn ugly."_

"_Great… just fucking great!"_

"_Got a plan to prevent anything bad from happening?"_

"_I'm thinking!" _But right now, nothing comes to mind as me and Tequila are singled out to play the roles as guardsmen of the good lieutenant. Before we head off, I ping my comm., using the private channel;

"Hey… Ash, you there?" I just need to hear her voice, to hear her say everything's gonna be alright.

"Yeah, I'm here… Damn you had me pretty nervous when we couldn't contact you guys, and then there was the sound of constant firing… I'm glad you're okay." It already helps to hear her say that.

"Same to you love… I mean Ash… damn, I… I need to get a grip on the whole 'pet-name' thing." I say, not able to hinder a slight blush even despite the situation.

"Yeah, but I think I could get used to being called 'Love'… and maybe you could bring me some flowers and take me to a concert while you're at it." There's a smile in her voice that lifts my spirit. _Gods, did I need that._

"I'll see if I can arrange something, okay?" Still, it is a bit odd to be close to each other, yet still having to talk like this. I suppose hugging and such would be a little anti-climatic in this place.

"Alright, you do that. I think there's a band named 'The Temptations' playing on the Citadel in a month… maybe we could go hear them?"

"Never had you figured for a 'Souler' Ash, but what the heck, sure. And Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay safe out there… and try to keep Nic safe as well, just… if it isn't too much trouble." I add the last part with a grin, waiting to see if the bugger butts into our conversation to interrupt again. Nothing comes, except the response from Ash;

"You too Thomas. Try and 'convince' that Jacob guy into talking. He's a Cervy, so don't hold back for my sake." She says, ending the comm. as John and Nihlus take point with a joint-squad consisting of everyone but me, Tequila and Jane. The latter then hoists up in Jacobs's arms, forcing him to his feet as troops from the Centurion enters through the shattered doorway, ready to claim the prize that is five terrorist-commandos, wrapped and readied as presents for Christmas. Looking to their side, I notice quite a few of the commandoes are looking at Jacob as we march him through the doorway ahead of them. I wonder if they have something akin to the comradeship in our team. _Best not to ponder over it… would just give me a guilty conscience if I did…_

…

10th October

SSV Normandy

Deck three: Crew-quarters, gym and brig.

20:11 (Port Hanshan time)

"So… since I'm kinda new here… would you mind explaining a bit more about Cerberus?" Tequila asks, filling her mug with coffee, ignoring the small packets with milk and instead going all black. I think there's a saying about that, though I just can't remember it. Jane, sitting across the room, doesn't break her eyes away from the portable monitors she brought up, using them to keep an extra set of eyes on our newest guest. Jacob is, as might be expected, not invited to join us, but is instead politely relocated in the 2x3m brig. The brig, or just locked-room with a tiny bed, for short, is located just next to the elevator in the gym, and is equipped with cameras in the ceiling to prevent en escape-attempt by our dearest operative. Looking at Jane, I shrug, realizing that she doesn't seem too enthusiastic to tell the tale of Cerberus, so I suppose it's up to me. _Again…_

"_Oh do grow up, you're safe here on the ship. The others are out risking their hides to find Scorch."_

"_Sorry, sorry…fine, I get it."_

"Well… Cerberus… how the hell to put it? They are a pro-human splinter-group that was created back sometime after the First Contact War, and then broke away from the Alliance at one point or another. Now, they mainly, I think, spend the time with insane experiments meant to put mankind on top of the galactic society, and sort of stomp everyone else underfoot. This shit-hole of a port is a good example of what happens when their toys break out, and one of the reasons they are hated, even by humanity. Other than that, I think… right, their leader is called the Illusive Man, though very few know his real name… "I say, putting down my own mug of coffee next to my Raikou on the small table, casting a quick glance at the monitor next to Jane, noticing how Jacob is just slumped against the wall, like he's broken already. _Nah, he can't be that weak… or, is he worried about his men? Would make sense I suppose…_

"I'm risking a guess that one of those very few is sitting right next to me." Jane says, still not looking up from the monitor. _How the…_

"Well, since I haven't even been… here… for two months, I'm guessing you're talking about… wait, Thomas? You know his real name?" Tequila suddenly turns from Jane to me with a somewhat startled look in her eyes. _Oh come on, two minutes ago, you didn't even know the word 'Illusive Man'_. Still, I throw my hands out in surrender, thinking why the fuck not, given all the other messed up things that's happened so far.

"Yeah… I guess I do. It's Jack Harper… unless that's changed too. Far as I know, the guy is actually one of the reasons Saren hates humanity." I say while lifting the mug to my lips, inhaling the sweet smell of freshly made coffee with estevia, an organic substitute for sugar with the same taste, but without the sugar-rush that usually follows. This catches Jane's attention;

"Oh? How is that?" She says, giving me one of her shrewd stares. _Damn, I really wish I'd bought that comic right about now…_

"Well, apparently he stopped Saren's brother from calling forth some kind of super-weapon that would transform the Turian race into some kind of god-like beings, and then take on the rest of the galaxy. The catch just was… the super-thingy turned out to be some kind of indoctrination, and Harper had to stop the crazy bugger from calling forth the Reapers or something, by killing him. And Saren saw it all. I guess that's why he wants to kill us all… well, that and the whole indoctrination thing."

"That's… weird. I did read the reports on that incident, but they just said it was a terrorist attack… are you sure about that super-Turian thing?" Jane says, giving me a confused look.

"Almost. I only read the short version of the story…guess being a cheap-ass didn't really serve me in the end, did it?"

"Maybe…well, I've gotta use the ladies' room, be back in a couple of minutes." Jane says, getting up and leaves the room. That just leaves me and Tequila alone in here, starring at a monitor of Jacob pacing in his little cell. Oh man, the SR-2 is going to be soooo much fun. Yeah, he'll probably hate my guts for this.

For a few minutes, we just sort of sit there in silence, none of us really willing to start a conversation. It's not that I don't like her. Hell, I admire Tequila for the shit she's been through, and then adjusting to this place. That takes balls. Not literally, of course.

"So… Thomas… I can't help but get the feeling you know this Jacob-guy from somewhere, and he sure as hell seemed to know you." Tequila says, almost causing me to choke on my coffee. Wiping the stains from my mouth and cheek, I send her what I hope is a casual look, but judging from the grin on her face, it probably didn't come off so well.

"I… may have run into him a few times."

"Mm… 'Seems like decent guy, you know, if you take away the part of him working for terrorists and all that."

"He is… and I would regret hitting him, if not for… you know, Sev and all that crap." I say, examining the bottom of my mug, feeling the steam from the remaining coffee hit my eyeballs. Always loved doing that.

"Maybe… but if something happened to more of our people… to Ashley or Teng- to Nicolai… what would you do then?" She asks, giving me a questioning glance, as well as keeping an eye on the monitor.

"Tie him up and leave him on Noveria." I say with a voice that's a bit colder than I meant for, but I mean it. I would leave him and his people here without any hesitation at all…

"Damn… Jane might have something there… you _are_ being hardened by all this, and I'm not sure it's in the good way."

You haven't seen half the shit I've- oh wait… well, I've seen a bit more shit than you… I think. At least more different things, and… I don't know, it doesn't really feel any different." I say, getting up from my chair. I open the door and look down the short corridor to Jacob's cell, wondering what the guy might be thinking right now.

"Mm… I can put myself in your shoes, if it means anything." She says.

"Doubt it. I lost my entire family, and aside from Nic, everyone I knew by getting here. Ever tried getting hit by a freight-train? It fucking hurts." Okay, I didn't mean for it to sound that irritated, and turning around, I notice that the corporal seems to have gotten a bit of a frown on due to my tone.

"Yes… I know what you mean. I lost one of my sisters to those fucking bugs." She says, an amount of sadness in her voice I haven't heard before. _Damn, her sister? Fuck, and here I went on and on about me… great job Thomas, pat yourself on the back!_

"Fuck… how did it happen?" I know asking is a bad idea, but for some reason I just do it anyway. Tequila sighs, looking deep down her mug before downing the rest in one swig, then turning her face towards me;

"You should know. You all saw it on screen." She just says, causing me to blink just a few more times before, with great intellect, opening and closing my mouth a few times, until the pieces finally falls together.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You… left, during the final battle-scene between the marines and the bugs… only woman to die there… wait, Vasquez?" I ask with a chill running down my spine, as well as a pair of eyes almost falling from their sockets. Tequila just nods, clenching her mug even tighter.

"B-but… you don't even have the same last name?"

"What do… you never looked at the crew-compliments, did you?" She says, almost gaining an entertained tone to her voice. _Dafuq is she talking about?_

"True, she didn't use the last name Aquila, but her name was Jeannette Aquila Vasquez, private first class… big sis of two, me and Carmen. I wonder how she took all this, her biggest sister dying first, then me disappearing… the universe is a fucked up place, am I right?"

"Damn… now I understand why you left the movie at that time… crap, I'm sorry Teresa. You okay?" How come everyone ending up here loses loved ones in the process?

"It's fine. I guess she went down like she always wanted to: "In a big fucking fireball!" as she would have said. Still, I miss her. She was the reason I entered the corps, you know?"

"I didn't… though I would be lying if I called it a surprise. Hell, the only reason Nic is here, is because I persuaded Anderson, the ship's former captain, to let him work here as cook and auxiliary." I say, causing a slight frown to appear on her face, as well as a smile. I can't help but wonder if something's going on between those two. Hell, Nicolai is obviously out for her, and I can see why. She's like Ash in a few ways: Kickass, brave, deadly when pissed and quite good looking too. Still, I prefer raven-hair and hazel eyes.

"Yeah… he really seems like a decent guy, your friend. He just needs to get his shit together in combat, and he could have been a good marine. And if not, Van Zandt could have had a go at him, and turned him into a first class marine in zip time." I can't help a small chuckle at that. Hell, she has humor too. I think Nic should stick to this one, if that ever happens. Somehow, it spreads to her and we both stand there for some time, grinning like over a lame joke.

"I doubt even that old hard-ass could whip him into shape though. He's got the muscles, but he tends to panic when bullets are flying. Not that I blame him though, rookies are always frightened by their first battle, and the geth aren't even human. You can't scare them away or force them to surrender." She says, gaining a more serious tone.

"Nah, but even among the geth there has to be some decent ones, you know?" I say, remembering Legion, but not being sure enough on it to expressively mention him. _Could be we never meet him… fat chance the geth will send a platform to negotiate with a violent quarian… and they probably don't know about Jane yet. _Somehow, that has to change.

"I doubt it. 'Would be like looking for a peaceful xeno, and we haven't had much luck there, have we?" She says, emptying her mug and moving to place it in the scrubber, since it's more efficient than wasting water on a dishwasher. As the small device emits the tell-tale thin wall of yellow light, I sigh, looking back at the monitor. Jacob hasn't stopped pacing yet.

"I wonder… why do you think Cerberus pulled a Weyland Yutani out here?" Tequila asks, probably following my gaze.

"No idea. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was for the same reasons as that bastard Bishop: Bio-weapons. Nothing short of a Neutron purge, or a nuke stops these fuckers when an infestation has taken place, and the current galactic powers are too fond of their Garden Worlds to do that."

"But against who? The Council?"

"Again, no idea… however humanity has been annoyed by Batarian slavers for years, so I wouldn't be surprised if a few of their colonies suddenly went dark, the Batarian ones that is. Hell, I wouldn't shed a tear over those four-eyed fuckers, not one." I say, remembering the stories I've caught here and there, how Mindoir was attacked while John was there, how colonies have been all but erased by a fleet of Batarian pirates, supported by their race's leaders. Sure, the Council has bigger problems _now_, but they've always just ignored it when colonies were attacked, their citizens stolen and sold as slaves.

"Yeah, I've been reading up on that. I swear I don't get why this Alliance we all serve under doesn't get their fingers out of their butt-holes and send the slavers back to the Stone Age. That's what the USCM would have done." She says with a pretty pissed off tone. Seeing as I don't respond, because I have no idea what to say to that, she pulls out her sidearm: Her old VP-70. Why she hasn't changed it to a 'modern' gun, is beyond me.

"I mean, I would gladly take all the political piss it would generate, if it meant I could shove this thing in between the eyes of whatever their leader is called, and just pull the trigger, sending all four eyes flying out the back of his or her skull." She says, starting to take her gun apart on the table.

"No offense, but how come you still hang on to that pistol?" a new voice suddenly asks, and I turn to see Jane standing in the doorway, just a foot behind me. Dammit I hate it when people sneak up on me like that. Tequila doesn't look all that surprised, instead holding up the grip of the pistol as she slides the barrel off it;

"Well, for some reason, gun-powder weapons are better at getting through their shields, right? So… I figured I may as well have _one_ gun that can penetrate those ass-holes, and then use your… whatever your guns fire, against armor and that Jedi-biotic thing. Speaking of which…" She says, suddenly looking at me with far too inquisitive eyes.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that as well…" Jane says, joining Tequila in starring me down like an animal in a zoo. After a few seconds, the whole situation just becomes too weird;

"Okay… what is it?" I ask with an annoyed grin, absentmindedly scratching my head where the hair is starting to return to a normal length.

"When we were attacked, you pulled some kind of green je- biotic stunt, which probably saved all our asses. What was it?" Tequila asks. _Oh that… wait, green bio-what?"_

"I… have no idea what I did, or what Roku did. Apparently he took over my body for some time when the big xeno was about to kill me, and I blacked out. I haven't even seen the same things you have." I say with a bit of anger laid in. _How come people, even those I serve with, always have to look at me like a freak-show when you pull some shit?_

"_It wasn't 'some shit'. I saved your life, be grateful at the very least."_

"_Sorry, sorry… but my head still feels weird, and I have no idea of what you did. An 'overload' doesn't really explain much"_

"Alright, we've better rectify that a.s.a.p. Let's see if we can't get the screen up and running, and I'll go fetch your cams Tequila. Seeing it on screen again isn't going to make it less awesome." Jane says, walking off for what I suppose is the elevator. Alone in the room again, Tequila and I spend the next minutes discussing ways to punish and torture Batarian slavers. Such fun.

Jane soon returns with a small device, which I recognize as the double-lighting device on top of our helmets. Figures those would be cams as well. Using, not her Omni-tool, but a simple remote and a wire, Jane hooks the recorder up to the screen, and with a few presses of buttons, turns on a vid showing a lot of blurry imaging, probably caused by rapid movements. The scene depicts someone looking down at his or her own feet while stepping over a shattered glass-door.

"Mmnnoo, not that. Fast-forwarding." Jane says, hitting a command that sends the picture spinning until she stops it at just the right time.

"_Shit, someone get over to help Thomas, he's- fuck! Die!Just fucking die!"_ The voice is Tequila's, and she's repeatedly gunning down bugs while wielding her minigun like a scythe, reaping entire fields of acid-splashing monsters with each sweep.

"_Wrex! Support Fisher!" _A new voice shouts, its two-flanged sound confirms it as Garrus' voice. He sounds a bit desperate, but the picture moves too fast for me to tell properly what's going on, other than masses of bugs being mowed down.

"_I'm a little busy here Turian! Do it yourself, you're closer!" _A gruff voice responds, and I remember how Wrex was practically beating up the xenos with his bare fists at times, when he couldn't use the gun as a club.

"_Corporal, can you- spirits, what was that?!"_ Garrus shouts again, and the cam turns just in time to depict a xeno the size of an Elcor, flying through the air, and turning further, the cam reveals a person in armor, hovering above the ground while shimmering in green light. _Dafuq? Is that… is that me?_ I think as the picture stops, freezing and focusing on me, hovering in the air like a bad imitation of Green Lantern.

"Oooookay. Just what just happened?" I ask after a few seconds of gawking. Turning my to face the two women, I'm met with one disturbed pair of eyes, and one grinning red-head, looking at me with gleaming eyes. _Okay, she's seriously scary at times!_

"I haven't got the faintest clue, but a guess could be that Roku is getting more used to your body. If that holds true, then the process could be very similar to what a biotic experiences." Jane says, giving me a look not all that different from what the doc on Eden Prime gave me when I was shouting at Roku without knowing it.

"Ehm… The marine is lost here. What's the regular process a biotic goes through?" Tequila asks, looking at both me and Jane, but mainly at Jane. The captain shrugs, and gives us both a cheery, yet somewhat tired smile, looking like she's remembering good times and bad times. As weird as that might sound.

"Well, when a human is a biotic, we start out not really capable of doing anything more than shifting some air around ourselves, me excluded. Most human biotics go to a station on the edge of the Sol system called Jump Zero, where we're trained to harness our powers. Then we're equipped with nodes and modules to enhance our powers, and boom: after years in training, you've got your own little group of super-humans… or 'Jedi' as you call us, Corporal." Jane directs the last part to Tequila, seeing as she still hasn't given up on the name she labeled Jane and Liara with on Therum. I have to admit, it is quite catchy. Although I shudder to think of Jane combined with a lightsaber. Two times doom in one package isn't a good mix.

Then though, there is the question of what Jane meant when she said 'herself excluded'. Excluded from what, the Eezo? The training? Tequila seems to be thinking the same thing, and Jane seems to be picking up on it.

"Now you're probably wondering what I meant by 'excluded' right? Well, I had some serious trauma in my childhood, and one second I possessed the normal abilities a little girls does, the next, I was on Kaidan's level. Simple as that. And no, I'm not going into details about what happened." She says with a stern voice, hammering down on the point that she won't tell us anymore.

Muttering something about universal injustice, and how she could have been a badass if she had had such powers, Tequila returns to her maintenance of her gun, pulling out a small pin with brushes attached to it, and starts cleaning the inside of the barrel. _Seems like discussion is over._ I sigh, leaning back against the doorframe while keeping a lazy eye on the monitor, observing how Jacob is slumped against the wall.

Sighing, I stand out from the frame and look around. It bothers me to hell and beyond that my girlfriend is out there fighting bugs, and what do I get? Guard duty.

Typical

"Well… I'm gonna go try and chat up our guest. Anyone feel like joining should apply for the trip now." I say as I leave the room, half-expecting someone to actually follow me, but seeing as no one does so, I shrug and continue the last meters down the corridor to the brig.

This is going to be fun.

The door to the brig is made from hardened graphene-alloys, stitched into Plexiglas. In other words: A Krogan couldn't break it. Force it off the hinges, yes, but break the door? No. there's a stool positioned across from the door, giving whomever sits in it the famous guardsman position, where he then falls asleep, and the convict convinces the guard's dog to give him the keys.

Seeing as I don't bother standing for much longer, I grab the chair and pull it directly in front of the door, catching Jacob's attention. Not like he has a whole lot else to look at anyway. There's a mattress in there, as well as a small toilet, one of those made from stainless steel, and not hidden from view at all. No wonder he hasn't used it.

I know I wouldn't.

"Hello Jacob, how's that jaw doing?" I ask with a strained smile, referring to the punch. A nice purple color is starting to spread across his face, giving one the impression of someone having smattered blueberries all over it. He, on the other hand, doesn't bother with the smile, and just stares me right in the eyes. _Gotta give it to the guy: He doesn't lose spirit that easy._

"What's going to happen to my men?"

"The commandoes?" I ask with a slight shrug; "I think that depends on whether or not we get Scorch home alive, as well as everyone else."

"How does that affect anything with the others?"

"Well…. John, being a commander, outranks the Turian captain, and therefore he can order the execution or release of your people. And I would reckon he would be more inclined towards mercy if we didn't lose anyone else. Still, I would imagine he would still want to tear _you_ a new one because of Sev and what happened here." I reply as casually as I can, although I do get a dirty sense of pleasure from being in power over him, in some way being able to decide whether or not he'll lose some limps to John's 'educational methods'. And as much as it should sicken me, I don't really regret the feeling.

"I… isn't there something I can do to make him spare my men?" Jacob sounds pretty beat up. Man, the guy cares more about his people than his own life. That, right there, deserves respect.

"Well… there are two things. One: You tell John, Nihlus or Jane everything they want to know, should they interrogate you before any eventual torture. Or two: you can pray. If I were you, I'd go for 1, although a prayer is always handy. Tell me… do you know _why_ John hates Cerberus so much?" I ask with a smug smile. Could be interesting to see if he's a knowing grunt or if he's idealistic and has been fed some lie, or, just hasn't been told.

"Something about a deal that went wrong with the Migrant Fleet, and he was captured by our operatives. Other than that, I don't really know." Okay, so he is the 'just hasn't been told' category.

I think I can work with that.

"Well, the way I've heard it, he was abducted by Cerberus operatives pretending to be selling a ship to the Quarians, and then he was tortured and experimented on for weeks. He then escaped, landed on a colony-world ruled by humans, he joined their military out of convenience after a slaver-attack, followed them on their next mission to a place called Akuze, where he then ended up as the sole survivor from an attack by Tresher Maws, supposedly let loose by Cerberus, and was in the end picked up by Alliance forces. So that's the quick rundown of why he hates your boss, and why he would probably gladly castrate you and chop the breasts of Miranda where after he would have Wrex rape her, without batting an eyelash… if Quarians do indeed _have_ eyelashes." After my little speech, Jacob looks like he just ate something foul.

I'm not sure if it is due to the revelation of John's reason to hate Cerberus, or the images of John's acts of vengeance upon himself and Miranda. I'm starting to be a little worried due to the fact that I'm not feeling sorry for this guy at all.

"_You really need to get your shit together. You can't go becoming some senseless prick this soon."_

"_Thank you, I know. I just don't feel any pity for him, and I don't know why. I mean, hell, deep down I like the guy. He even had this crappy dad who turned his own crew into slaves and whores. Not the best way to grow up, and yet he did fine."_

"_Hmm… maybe I should take a look at you synapses tonight… might cause some messed up dreams, but should be better than doing it while you are awake."_

"_Alright… tell me if you find anything. I would blow a fuse if that Thorian-thing still had some presence in my head."_

"_Nah, I doubt that is the case. I would have detected it by now then."_

"Fuck… why didn't she tell me?" He says, forcing my attention back to the guy in front of me.

"Who, Miranda? Don't worry, I'm sure it was nothing personal, and she simply felt that since you don't trust the Illusive Man, it would be risky giving you more reason to distrust him. It's perfectly normal for her. I think." Something in my words must have hit a switch in him, because he suddenly hammers a fist against the glass, looking at me with a mix of confusion, fear, curiosity and anger. I can't help but back up a little, despite the fact that he wouldn't be able to harm me through the door.

"There! There it is again! How the hell do you know that kind of stuff?!" He demands. _There it is again. The reason why playing smart isn't a good idea. Gets people pissed at me, that's what it does._

"I doubt you want to know how I know so much about Miranda… but do you actually want to know how I know you, Jacob?" I ask with an as calming voice as I can, mindful that I can summon two armed and deadly soldiers with a second's notice. So I'm not really worried he should suddenly fling me to hell with a biotic trick. I actually don't know if biotics can go through walls.

"Actually I'm reeeaal curious about that." He says, adopting a more casual attitude while leaning against the wall.

Okay, so Jacob isn't afraid of me anymore, if he ever was that is. And I seem to have made him relax a bit more. He's not warming up for a biotic charge to smear me against the wall at least. That's a good thing. If he trusts me, or even 'likes' me, is a whole other story.

Leaning back in the chair, I copy his relaxed stance with my own, just to pretend I'm not a bit nervous about this whole situation. Don't get me wrong, I'm still ready to tear him apart if Ash or Nicolai die out there, but for now, we're friendly. I even have an idea as to how I'm supposed to know Jacob this well. I wonder how he will react. Well, time to find out.

"Well… how much do you remember about your dad?" I ask with a careful voice, looking for reactions. I am 'rewarded' with a pair of wide and surprised eyes. _Figures… _

"My dad's none of your concern. Besides, he's probably dead." He answers with a renewed tone of hostility.

Alright, careful in that field. Touchy subject apparently, not that I blame him or wonder about it. As I remember it, his dad has been missing for about eight years now, seeing as it was ten in 2184. Still, I need to know if he actually is. And that might lead to some awkward situations.

"What makes you think that?" I probe.

"Because he went missing eight years ago. Listen, what the fuck has this got to do with how you know me?" He says, looking like a guy ready to smash his way through the door.

"It does. The ship your dad served on, the _Gerns-something_? It crashed on an uncharted world, with most of the crew surviving. Now, before we go any further, remember that I don't have to answer any questions you ask, and if you push it, I'm just going to leave. Then you won't see me again until John starts interviewing you. Are we clear?"

"Sure. Now, what… how do you know about that ship, and what do you know?"

"Well first, I'm not going to answer how I know of it, but it crashed on a remote planet, and most of the crew survived, like I said. Far as I know, your dad is alive as well." My answer seems to stun him into silence, as he just slumps back against the wall. Wow… I hadn't actually expected him to just believe me like that.

I decide I might as well get the rest cleared while he's quiet. Besides, he can't really deny my story, unless he actually finds his dad and asks him in person. _But come on… what are the odds of that happening?_

"As for how I know you? Through your dad. Knew him for some years before he disappeared, and he mentioned you… I understand you weren't as close as he would have wanted, but there it is." I say, leaning back in the chair and getting comfortable while he digest the 'information' I just gave him.

It really is weird, being on the positive end of an interrogation or conversation with a member of Cerberus like this, but I can't complain. Sure as hell beats being drugged by a Cervy, shipped back to some outpost and having my brain dissected. While he's quiet, I cast a glance at my crono, seeing as I'm still in armor. It really just seemed like a waste of time removing the suit, only to have to put it on again if they should need more help out there. Although, it isn't the most comfortable experience sitting down in. The plates on my thighs and ass are chaffing, and it causes my muscles to fall asleep.

Never thought that could happen to butt-cheeks.

"Now… why don't you tell me a bit about what happened here on this planet?" I ask, causing him to give me an annoyed look, like he's thinking 'aren't we past that shit yet?'

"Guarantee the safety of my men, and then we'll talk." He says, causing me to cringe inwardly. How come I'm not even surprised? _Bastardly compassion, always fucking up my conversations. Wait what? Where did that come from?_

"_Hmm… there seems to be some sort of… disorder in a few of your brain-functions. They are mainly the ones controlling sympathy and raw emotions. They seem to be caused by damage from either too high sound or a hemorrhage… you haven't been listening to ultra-high music, have you?"_

"…_No, not that I know of. Only sounds that have annoyed me have been the sound of gunfire and that pissin' whining tone inside my head the last time we were at the Citadel."_

"_Whining tone?" _

"_Yeah, remember? I complained about this high-pitched noise in my ears?" Oddly enough, that hasn't resumed since we left the Citadel._

"_I haven't heard anything like that… I'll take a look at it tonight. For now, just try to a bit more friendly with Jacob, okay?"_

"_Can you fix it?"_

"_Are you trying to insult me?"_

"_Just help me, okay?" _I really don't want to end up brain-damaged.

"_Hey, my home is my castle, it's going to be alright."_

"I don't have the authority to guarantee that… but I'll try and put in a good word. Now, let's talk about your squad then, and how you got our armor." I ask, looking at Jacob who, in return, seems to be in inner turmoil. _Clock's ticking, come on…_

"We… I don't know who or how we got this armor, but it kicks the hell out of our old models. As for my team?" He says, then looks down again. His lips are moving, I can see that much, but I can't hear what he's saying. Might be he's praying, which could mean he won't tell me anything, as that was kinda what option two was about.

After some minutes of silence, during which I start examining various scratches and marks on my armor, he finally looks up again. He looks like someone who hasn't slept for days. _Dude, what the hell just happened over two minutes?_

"Fine… we're a SpecOps team called Mjolnir-six; designated clean-up squads supposed clean up where experiments have gone wrong. I don't know how many teams there are, but each consist of six people, all trained so that the team can handle any type of situation." He says, then looking down again, as if to take a breather.

Mjolnir-six? I can't say it's a stupid name. It actually sounds pretty badass, but why would Cerberus name a squad after Nordic mythology? Thinking back, I do seem to remember one of the operatives having a strange symbol on his armor. _What was it?_

"_A picture of a key entering a lock."_

Ah, yes that was it. I wonder, if the team is trained to handle anything, wouldn't it be logical if that guy was the team's slicer and hacker, like opening doors? It does seem appropriate to use that kind of emblem in that case.

"So… what's the story of your squad? Why is Cerberus suddenly labeling stuff after Nordic mythology when you usually label things after Greek mythology?"

"I'm so gonna get fired or jailed for this…" Jacob mutters, rubbing his forehead. Good, when people are like that, they are more likely to give up something good. I can't help a small giddy jump in my chair which, thankfully, goes unnoticed by Jacob as he looks at me again.

"Ever heard of the Vikings?"

…

Normandy Crew Quarters

22:17 (Hanshan time)

Wading back into the crew quarters, I can't help feeling a bit giddy and exited. Jacob pretty much either just lied to my face, or he told me an awesome amount of fact. Damn if I'm not smiling like an idiot right now.

Apparently I am, seeing how Jane and Tequila are looking at me when I enter the room, both with a raised eyebrow, and a look as if to determine whether or not I have gone insane.

"So… you seem awfully giddy Corporal. What gives?" Jane says, looking me over. Her eyes, those sharp green eyes, sometimes make me feel uneasy when it's like she's drilling into my soul.

I wonder if Turians are turned on by that.

"Just… had a small chat with our guest. You could say it was a friendly, if weird interrogation." I say while pulling out a chair.

Both the women sigh, exchanging looks that probably means something I don't want to know. How come women always have to do that around me? Seriously, what did I do wrong this time?

"You… didn't tell him about yourself, right?" Tequila says, looking a bit worried. _Ahh, so that's why._

"Tell him about myself? Nah... Could have been funny though, going all 'Hey Jacob, I know you from a future where you are a bland guy and everyone hates you… also I've seen you bang Jane and- OH FUCK!" I slap my hands over my mouth as I realize what I just said. Feeling a rain of hellfire coming my way, my entire body is shriveling and shaking upon the knowledge that I probably just gave Jane a reason to take my life and dump me somewhere dark. Slowly turning my eyes from a startled Tequila, I end up looking at Jane who, as might have been expected, looks like someone just threw a brick at her face.

In any other situation, I would have laughed at the face, but now, I'm just downright terrified. This is going to be a hard one to escape from with my life and body intact. The air around Jane is already shimmering, and the rage and fear in her eyes is causing me to back up against the wall, turning over my chair in the process. Then, no one says a thing for what feels like hours, with Jane just moving her mouth without sound coming out. For some reason, this scares me a hell of a lot more than her shouting.

"What?" She says, slowly stepping around the table in my direction. So far, this is the closest I've been to pissing myself during my time here.

The worst is her voice though. Where other people would be hysterical, maybe even using their biotics to paint the wall with me, Jane just calmly walks towards me while looking perfectly peaceful. The only giveaway is the shimmering in the air around her, and the way her eyes are twitching. It creeps the hell out of me.

I try backing up further, but am stopped by the hull, causing me to look to my front and find a Jane Shepard marching towards me, a picture of serenity if not for the eyes screaming for blood, death and nuclear destruction.

"I- it was a joke, you know, like if I said we could all die now or that a race of bugs would- I mean, bad example it was… I- it was just a bra- a brainfart, like Miranda being nice or- fuuck, I have no idea what I'm saying anymore… please don't hit me?" I half-way hold up my hands to deflect a blow that never comes. Mentally, this is some of the scariest shit I've done so far, only topped by the attempted suicide on Feros. Socially? I think I just murdered whatever standing I had with Jane, and Tequila? I suspect she's gonna avoid me from now on. _If I make it out of this one, I'll start doing proper stuff, like keeping a log or helping old ladies across the street, anything!_

"A joke?"

"Yeah?"

"So… let's just say it isn't a joke. Why in the name of the collective amount of planes in Hell, would I do… that guy, in whatever sick fantasy you imagined? Is it because you like interracial sex? Do you find it _kinky_ to imagine parings for people who have no interest in becoming part of it?"

"No wait, it's not-"

"Like that? Then what is it like Thomas?"

"I… for the love of Mara! He's a member of the team in Hudson's second story, and when he was there, you and Jacob fell in love, happy?" Whatever she was thinking before, it looks like she's done a serious one-eighty, because instead of punching me, she sends a blue-shinning fist straight into the metal bulkhead, making a dent in the wall of solid steel. _Divines! That could have been my face! _

The look on her face when she looks at me again is even scarier than earlier: She's smiling! It's not a happy smile, like the one Ash sometimes sends people, no, it looks more like the guy from the Shinning, and causes Goosebumps to appear all over my body. I swear: That woman isn't normal!

"Well then… I'll look forward to meeting this 'Hudson' of yours, and then I'm going to rip off his balls and feed them to him. Now, where is he?" Jane has got the most wicked scowl on her face, looking like the Joker from Batman, minus the makeup.

"Ehm… in Canada, about one hundred and fifty years ago." I say, causing Jane's scowl to fully develop into a vicious snarl.

"God-fucking-Dammit! I hate the fact that some perverted Reindeer-molester has scripted my life up for millions of fucking geeks! I swear, if I ever get my hands on him, he'll wish he never introduced his time to me!" She shouts, causing a haze of biotic energy to erupt around her and topple Tequila's mug, spilling droplets of coffee into the air.

"Hey, watch where your floating hits, that was a full mug!" Tequila sneers, trying to use the cup to collect the floating coffee before Jane's biotics wear off. This actually seems to make Jane snap out of her fit of anger, as she becomes aware of the almost comical sight of the corporal colleting flying coffee.

"Right, sorry… I… it just pisses me off." Jane says, dissolving the biotic field. That would have made us all happy, if not for the fact that Tequila, as Jane's biotics dissolve, is holding her mug upside-down in an attempt to scoop up a large blob of the brown liquid. It, as well as the collected coffee, splashes against the floor instantly, followed by curses by the corporal as she throws her mug against the table in irritation;

"Dammit girl, stop doing that! I almost had it all!" She shouts, but then cracks into a smile.

For a moment, I have no idea what the hell is going on. I mean, this is just too weird, and now Jane starts smiling too! The next thing will be they both- and there we go. They are both laughing away. Wonderful and I'm left standing like some dumbfuck who didn't get the joke.

Watching the two hardcore soldiers laugh like mad-women though, is an entertaining experience, if anything. That said, I'm still freaked out over this whole thing. One minute, Jane looks like she could paint the hull with my brain, and the next she's laughing because Tequila spilled coffee. _I know I've asked this before, but when the fuck did the universe stop making sense? Must have happened somewhere down the way…_

"Well, it's never dull here, is it?" Tequila finally asks, managing to get some air in-between her fits of laughter.

I'm not sure if she asked me, Jane or just aloud, because I'm still dumbstruck as to how the hell this situation took a turn for the better that easy, or that fast.

"Dios… or Dioses… whatever 'God' is in pluralism… what the hell is wrong-" I start with a hand to my forehead as the intercom interrupts me.

"Doctor Chakwas to sick-bay. Doctor Chakwas to sick-bay, and make it two minutes ago!" Joker's voice comes in over the speakers, causing all of us to look at each other, and without a word we storm for the elevator.

…

SSV Normandy

Mess Hall

22:40 (Hanshan time)

Half the ship is assembled outside the med-bay as we exit the elevator, and the remaining ground-crew has returned as well, most of them being among the crowd gathered outside the room. My heart skips a few beatings as I search the heads of crowd for the heads of the two people I give more than a fuck about.

Luckily, I spot both Nicolai and Ash pressed against the glass-panels to the room before I start panicking, and I start walking toward them, all the while I'm conjuring up images and scenarios of why they are all standing around the med-bay, pressed against the glass like goldfish in an overcrowded bowl.

As Jane, Tequila and I start squeezing our way through the crowd, most of the regular crew seems to have had enough and leaves the group, leaving only a few technicians and the rest of the ground-team. Wait… someone's missing. We have… we have Wrex here, and Garrus, Tali and Ash. There's Nic too, and Liara, John and Nihlus is here as well and… _Where's Kaidan?_

"Nihlus, what happened?" Jane demands, grapping a hold on the spectre. Looking at him, I can see the exhaustion and dread on his face. My stomach turns into ice instantly, causing my knees to buckle.

"I… look for yourself." He says, moving away so that the three of us can peek into the room.

For a few moments, none of us can say anything, until Tequila finally seems to get a grip on herself;

"Shit!"

* * *

**Dun dun duuuuun! **

**Sorry, had to use that one as an Author's note, instead of just writing it in reviews when something awesome has happened.**


	31. Licking one's wounds

**Damn, I dislike finals. don't get me wrong, I look forward to six-seven weeks of laziness... actually I don't, but the Finals are a bitch... can I use that word here? Never mind, I won't trouble you people with my own problems...unless you offer money?**

**Ach, just kidding :)**

**Anyway, I think it's about time we kicked Noveria in the balls and said goodbye to that iceball. **

**If you notice any and all incoherencies (Spelled right?) in this chapter, I'd be happy if you let me know... also, they are most likely the result of writing right after having had either Ale or wine... well, I write better when I've had a single glass, gives me ideas, you know?**

**Okay, before I end up writing something embarrasing, I think we'll just get right on with the chapter. Oh, by the way, seeing as the poll is closed, I think you guys should know that, big surprise, Master Chief won. Damn that guy seems to be quite popular, doesn't he? Probably because the whole slip-space portal thing makes it plausible for him to end up everywhere from Highrule to Star Wars... oh well, he might just drop in here as well. I'm going to attemp to make his appearance a bit more... original though, seeing as he if always found in that ship of his. Don't get me wrong, I like those stories. There's one where he and Jane Shepard get together... although I can't remember the name of the story, it is a good one. Still, having him in the next book means I have to do a loooooot of research to nail him down.**

**Alright, that... was a bit longer than I planned for.**

**Remember to alert me to errors and mistakes storywise, like suddenly having a human John Shepard. Just an example, relax! I think we have enough Shepards, don't you?**

**Anyway, onwards to the story! :)**

* * *

Licking one's wounds

October 10th

Normandy Mess Hall

22:42 (Hanshan Time)

This can't be happening.

This just _can't _be happening.

I know what I'm looking at right now, I know it's real. But at the same time, I refuse to believe it. My brain refuses to accept what's going on inside the med-bay. Refuses to accept the reason why Chakwas as well as Ashley are running around like startled chickens, seemingly not knowing what to do, and… I don't blame them.

The crowd outside the med-bay has dwindled to being just us six: Me, Boss, Tequila, Fixer, Jane and John, while the rest have returned to a somewhat routine, although I don't think anyone from the ground team can find it in themselves to actually get some work done.

I know I wouldn't be able to.

Not while looking at the three figures placed on each their bed or gurney. Not while looking at a scene that would have made me throw up and scream and cry just a month ago. This… _this is the worst I've ever seen in my life._

My eyes can't… _I _can't tear them from the three figures on the gurneys, no matter how much I want to. next to me, Fixer is breaking down, hard.

He hasn't removed his helmet, but that doesn't prevent the rest of us from being able to hear his sobbing, and none of us move to stop him as he bangs his fists on the floor, cursing and swearing in whatever language he was raised in.

I don't know if anyone's actually paying that much attention to him at all though, seeing as the scene playing out in front of us has a more… demanding nature.

The worst part is, we can't hear what Ashley or Chakwas are saying, only see their facial expressions, or what of their faces that the masks don't cover. None of them look particularly cheerful when concerning Kaidan. The Lieutenant's face… I can't see it. No one can, and as far as I know, we can't do anything about it for the moment. One of the… atrocities, abominations of the very meaning of life, is clinging to his face. Chakwas already tried removing it, but was stopped by a shouting Tequila before she tried cutting through the finger-like appendixes of the creature. From what I could see, pulling it off didn't work either, seeing as it only caused the tail around the LT's neck to become tighter, and threaten to block his air-flow. Of course, we all know what it is doing. My heart, and my entire body is cringing in disgust and fear, knowing full well what's going to happen to him if we don't find some way to remove the… to help him. _This is not real! I… this…_

Inside the med-bay, next to Kaidan, Scorch is lying on one of the gurneys, his armor off and his left knee wrapped tightly in bandages, mainly to prevent the heavy bleeding he is suffering from at the moment. He is, or seems to be, unconscious, and I'm glad he is, as he would no doubt be screaming in pain from the wound he somehow received back on the port. On his left leg, just below the knee, nothing but a thin and corroded, acid-eaten stump remains from his shin and down. Something has stripped all flesh from the bone, and the only reason his boot hasn't been removed as well, is because, and this is just a guess, the armored boot and the flesh on his foot has melted and fused into one mass. I can understand why the docs are wearing those masks, as the sickening sweet stench of molten flesh is carried through the vents and fills the mess hall. _For fucks sake it stinks!_

The remaining flesh on his bone, as well as the flesh at the end of his knee, has turned black, and is sizzling and boiling, causing blisters to appear and burst, covering the gurney he's lying on with black spots and marks from the dropping liquid. The person next to Scorch though… I've never seen this kind of… destruction. To be honest, I'm not even sure why they brought him to the med-bay.

Sev… or, what's left of him, takes up the gurney next to Scorch. It's a sight not even Wrex could look at with indifference, seeing as the big Krogan was one of the first to leave the windows. I'm not even sure why _I'm_ still here, how I haven't simply bent over and thrown up. The body, if you could call it that, though the description 'meat and burned plastic' suits it…_him…_ better right now. The front of the clone looks like it has been lying face down in a burning oil pitch, then ripped to pieces by a pair of big hands. Most of it is gone, actually, and the armor itself has been bent and distorted in sick ways, many places simply burying itself in the body of the clone. I suppose it is a small grace that the body, and even the face, is so badly burned that it doesn't bleed. The wounds, and even the very blood apparently, no longer attains the nature of organic tissue, as it has been either evaporated or simply dried out by the fire and heat. It doesn't make his… body, any more of a pleasant view. _For Mara's sake, someone cover him!_

Finally not being able to take it anymore, I leave the window, heading for the elevator. As I step into it, I notice, perhaps for the first time, how silent it is. There's no music, no chatter heard through the walls, no creaking of metal, no sound from the engines of the ship. Just the silence that comes with a ship in mourning. I suppose that really is the best way to describe the atmosphere on the ship right now, seeing as Sev may not have been the most popular guy onboard, but that didn't mean he wasn't respected and actually liked by many. It is like this drunken guy that no one really talks to in the bar, but yet when he disappears, everyone is frantic and searching for him. A few might even cry.

Oddly enough, that's something I'm not capable of for the moment.

As the lift ends its journey in the cargo hold, I walk towards the Mako, without really thinking about it. Much of my mind is clouded, or just preoccupied with thinking about Sev, Kaidan and Scorch. While my brain is conjuring up the most horrific scenarios imaginable, including how exactly they each received their injuries and death, I reach the Mako, and pick up a tool that bears a strange resemblance to the welder one would use in repairing a car or sealing a door. Something in my head tells me I'm seeing something I've seen before, but it goes largely ignored, due to the fact that we have one, maybe soon two or three, dead people in the med-bay.

_Sev… Kaidan… Scorch_;

"AAAAAAAARRRGGGHH! For fucks sake you fucking piece of fucking cow-shit universe with YOUR FUCKING sense of karma or whatever you fucking justify this with!" I finally lose it, and send the welder flying at the hull where it impacts with a resounding _boom_, making the entire room echo with the noise for a few moments.

"It's not fair! It's…not…FAIR! I-hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrr, it's not- it's for fucking-hahahahah...Oooooohhh Gods!" My knees buckle, sending me to the floor where I end up sitting against the Mako, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, sinking my face down to look at my own abdomen. The cold waves of dread wash over me, and I feel the tears forming in my eyes. _Fuck it all… fuck the game, fuck Hudson and fuck the Reapers… _

"We're all going to die anyway… " I mumble to myself, feeling the tears flow down my face, mixed with the occasional blob of saliva following the tears. _Why do I always have to drool when I'm crying? I look like a fucking retard…Damn it all_.

Having sat like this for some time, I've only succeeded in soaking my uniform's chest area, as well as griming up my lower face. I weakly extend a hand to check the crono on my armor's wrist:

23:22

_Hmpf…_

So I've been sitting like this for… about half an hour, I think. And I'm still alone down here. No one's come to check on me, to see where I went or if I'm alright. I suppose… that's because everyone's minds are focused on trying to either save Scorch's life, if he's even still with us, or supporting Fixer and Boss.

As much as they, Boss in particular, might try to hide it, I think losing Sev twice, both times while he was in command… it must have done something to Boss, and Fixer… Fixer isn't even trying to hide it: the guy is broken. As much as they have been born and bred for… this, the fact that they are just as human as the rest of the humans on the ship is making itself clear now, with how they are handling the loss. _And I'm just sitting here feeling sorry for myself… fuck it all._

With some sort of clarity, I find the will or the strength, I don't know which, and get to my feet, ignoring the pain in my legs from having sat in the same position for apparently more than half an hour. I can't do shit to help Scorch, that's Chakwas' job. And Ash's. Me? I wouldn't be able to do more than blow on his wounds or wiping away the liquids from the gurney. But maybe I can still help Kaidan, as fucked up as it sounds. I at least have an idea.

A few minutes later, I exit the elevator at the third floor or deck. Turning right, I head past the crew quarters, and straight for the brig. On the way there, I manage to wipe away enough drool and tears to appear somewhat cool and collected. I think.

Jacob hasn't moved from his spot, seated on the bed provided to him, and hasn't yet, surprise, touched the WC. Again, I suppose I wouldn't either, with cams and all. I don't know why, but he looks a bit unsettled by the way I approach the door to his cell, looking him directly in the eye. Maybe, just maybe all of this isn't his fault, but given his ties, there's a damn good chance he knows who did, and if that fucker is still alive, he or she could know how to remove a chestburster from person without killing him. Right now, I don't care if Jacob trusts me or not. If he knows something, he'll help. If he knows something but refuses to help, I hurt him. I honestly don't care about the 'consequences' my actions might have in the future anymore, not after this.

"What's all the commotion with the med-bay… and what happened to your face?" He actually has the audacity to speak first, tempting me to open the door and hit him. No, I tell myself. He just asked out of curiosity, not spite. _Calm the fuck down_.

"Jacob, listen to me, and listen carefully, like your life depended on it, okay?" I say, starring him straight in the eye. He nods. Well, his life _does _depend on it, and I suspect he might have realized that.

"Do you know anyone, _anyone_ outside this planet who helped with this project? Anyone who knows anything about these creatures?" I have to restrain myself from shouting at him, and at the same time I also have to wipe my face several times to prevent the tears from forming again. _Fuck it, not right now!_

For a few moments, he looks like he's contemplating what or if he's going to say something. I can feel my fists curling up with each second he doesn't say anything.

"I… think I might know someone. I know this might be stretching it, but can I get access to a comm. system?" Does he even have to ask? If it can save Kaidan, I'd let him pilot the ship if possible.

"Yeah, sure… I'll… see if I can find a long-range transmitter…" I say, rushing off for the crew-quarters.

Having rummaged through every sort of tech I could find in there, I dig out the lap-top, figuring that if my old laptop could Skype around the globe, this should be able to reach whoever Jacob needs to speak to. I run back to the cell with the computer and open the door without even a second of hesitation;

"Fine, now contact that guy or girl and ask for help!" I sneer, placing the laptop in his lap with a rushed motion. Having given me a quick glance, he starts typing away on the laptop, and ends up with opening what looks like a modern version of Skype. Who he's calling, I've got no idea, though I have a few suspects.

After a few minutes, he apparently makes contact;

"Hey… Miri, wake up!" He says to the screen, and confirms my suspicions. Why am I not even surprised that Miranda had something to do with this sick project? It takes a few moments for the woman on the other end to answer though, and I can feel my patience being worn down by the second.

"Mm? Ja-Jacob? Why are you calling at this infernal hour?" the speakers of the computer carries her voice without the slightest distortion.

"Well… I guess you could say my mission went FUBAR… We've…. got a problem. More than one in fact." He says, constantly shooting me a nervous look.

"Why, what did you mess up this time?" She says, an annoyed tone filling the brig. _This is going too gods dammed slow…_

"We arrived here, after having found out that both the Normandy and a Turian Hierarchy ship were located here to deal with the infestation, and the scientists? Afraid they're dead…"

"Even Professor Nielson? Adam and Sue?" She asks, her voice a bit more slow now, as if she's sad. _Well she's about to become a lot fucking sadder if… fuck this, I can't wait for them to finish chatting!_

"Yeah… I'm afra- hey!" Jacob seems to mind that I'm suddenly snatching the laptop from him, using my left hand to hold it while I walk out the door and shut it after me. Jacob took too long, Kaidan will die at this rate.

Looking at the screen, I faced with a rapidly covering-up and flustered Miranda, obviously just out of bed. _Hmpf… didn't know the ice-queen needed sleep…_

"Who the- Wait… Fisher! Why are you there, what's happened to Jacob?!" she sneers, but I couldn't give less of a fuck about her mood. Right now I'm trying to save Kaidan, and she's probably the only one who knows how to remove a chestburster without bathing the patient in acid.

"He's fine for the moment, a guest of us, if you really want to know Miranda. Why am I not surprised in the least that you would be one of the few bitches cold-hearted enough to breed Xenos?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, and even if I did, why would I help you?" I swear, this woman…

"One: I _know_ you, and what you're like, so it stands to reason that you would engage yourself with implanting innocents with fucking chestbursters. I bet you told them they were _helping humanity_, am I right?" I ask with a sneer, but continue before she can respond;

"And two, the reason why you would want to help me: If not, one of my team-members is going to die a very cruel death, and as a response John'Shepard will be entertaining his revenge on Jacob, as will the colleagues of the commando killed in action here. In short, help us, or we send Jacob back to you, one finger and ball at a time, that's why." I finish with a sneer apparently powerful enough to put her off balance. _Good…_

"You wouldn't dare hurt him." Is that fright in her voice? _Even better…_

"You don't know me Miranda. You don't want to find out what I'm capable of. Now, you fucking listen to me, or I start with sending one of Jacobs ears back to Zeus station."

"That location is-"

"_Was_ a secret. Now listen: One from my team has been infected with a chestburster. I know what happens when it matures, so you are going to tell me how to remove it without bathing his innards in xeno-blood. Got it?" For a few moments, she doesn't say anything, while I'm starring at her. I don't give a fuck that's she's practically naked, only covered by a sheet. _I wonder if revealing that I even know the color of her bra would make her even more stressed out… later, that's for later._

"Fine… I assume you have a doctor onboard the ship?"

"Of course we do."

"The give me a moment to get dressed, take the computer to him or her, and I'll try and talk your doctor through it." She says in an annoyed tone. I scoff, not being sure on how to react. On one hand, doing what she says makes sense, like doctors using robots to operate over distance, but on the other hand, it feels like letting her win if I… _No, this is about Kaidan. Win or lose, I don't give a shit. If she can save him, I'm willing to risk John having a fit about her 'presence' here…_

"Fine, you have one minute, then I'm heading for the med-bay. And you better be able to help."

…

Normandy

Deck two - Mess hall and Med-bay

23:35 (Hanshan time)

"Thomas? Why are you walking around with a computer?" Garrus asks as I'm marching from the elevator to the med-bay. I suppose it does look a bit weird, walking around with an open laptop.

"How's Kaidan's condition?" I ask him, seeing as he's the only one here, besides Tequila and Fixer, the latter seemingly having fallen asleep in a chair with his forehead on the table. The Turian shakes his head;

"Not any better. Scans have shown that the… facehugger, is shoving something down his throat, like an organic pipe or something, but we can't get it off, and Chakwas is afraid to start operating, in case the thing stops feeding Kaidan oxygen if she does. In other words, we're nowhere closer being able to help him."

"Fucking… Ghaaah… never mind, I've been in contact with someone who might be able to help… just keep the commander and Tali out of the room while I'm doing this, okay?" I realize my question or order, either way, must sound incredibly stupid, as his face contorts into a frown.

"Ehm… who exactly are you on the comm. with?"

"Promise you won't tell either of them?"

"Sure…" He says, although a low rumble or growl tells me that he doesn't necessarily like it.

"It's the woman I met at the exchange, the one with the blonde hair. She was… is, one of the project-leaders of the stuff here on Noveria, so she will know what to do." I say in a low voice.

"And… if she doesn't?"

"Then we send Jacob back to her, one piece at a time…" I can't prevent the sneer from re-appearing, and I doubt it suits me.

"Sounds like a plan I can agree to." He says as I enter the med-bay, where the body of Sev has been covered, and Scorch remains unconscious. One of the first things I notice though, is how much the stench in here is worse than outside. The smell of burning or melting human flesh has always been disgusting to me. The two doctors in there, Ash and Chakwas, look genuinely surprised to see me in here.

"I'm sorry Corporal, but it's best if you're not in here right now." Chakwas says, then noticing the laptop;

And… why are you carrying that along with you?" She says, while Ash seems to confused to be able to utter a single word. I quickly check the screen, and turn the Skype-like program back on, making Miranda come to life on screen;

"I… this is Miranda Lawson, former head of the project here on Noveria, and hopefully, for her, she will be able to help us remove the parasite without killing Kaidan, am I right Miranda?" I ask with a scowl, also noticing the sudden hostility in Ashley's eyes as she looks at Miranda. _Oh boy…_

…

Normandy mess hall

23:50 (Hanshan time)

The mess hall is still quiet, like before. The only difference is that Liara has joined the group now, bringing us up to five people waiting around. Fixer is still asleep at the table, face down on the hard surface. No one really have the heart to wake him unless there is a change in Scorch's status. For now though, he'll live. I have no idea where Boss is though, seeing as he hasn't been here more than once, and then he just stood and looked through the window without saying a word. After a few minutes of starring at his two brothers, he just left again, headed for the elevator.

I wonder if I should be worried about Jacob, seeing as nothing really prevents Boss from going down there and letting his anger out on the only face of Cerberus he can find and touch.

Liara looks about as bad as before, with her makeup running down her cheeks. As bizarre as it might be, this is the first time I've realized that Asari use makeup as well. I wonder though, about her and Scorch. It looked so awkward in the cargo-bay, back before Noveria, so I assumed it was kinda one-sided with her and Scorch. Seeing her like this, I'm just not so sure anymore. This situation is tearing her up. I suck at reading people, and even I can see how she feels. I won't blame her though, no one will. Companionship, as easily as it comes to some people, requires a great deal of trust and time for others. I won't even try and stop her if she decides this is all Jacob's fault. I may have a spirit on my side, but I hold no illusions of surviving an attack from her.

I wonder why Tequila is here though, seeing as she barely knows Kaidan, at least what I have been able to gather. It could be that she is simply worried for a fellow crewmember, and has come to offer any help she can. I honestly don't know, and even I know how sick and wrong it would be to ask her why she is here. Even I am not that stupid.

Garrus hasn't said a word since he found out who Miranda is, and has instead just sat and looked at the window. Just like me, I suppose.

After I don't know how long, Ashley suddenly comes to the window with something in hand. After a moment of disbelief, I recognize the thing in her grip: The Facehugger.

"So… it's finally dead. I wonder what they'll do now…" Tequila says, following it all with great interest. I nod, not knowing what else to say.

…

October 11th

Normandy mess Hall

00:11 (Hanshan time)

"Gods I'm getting tired… anyone know how it's going in there?" I ask, looking on my crono, noticing that it's tomorrow already, or it's today, but… _Gods, I need some tea… scratch that: Coffee._ I slowly get up from my seat, heading for the kitchen where Fixer is hanging over the sink, looking like he aged ten years in ten hours. I can understand him, having lost first one brother, now risking losing another. I think Scorch will survive his injuries, but treating people for xeno-wounds isn't practice among doctors, so I honestly can't tell. They are probably going to remove the leg, given its state.

"Hey…" Fixer says as he acknowledges my presence.

"Hey. You… alright?" I ask him, putting my mug down on the table to be able to look at him without risking pouring coffee over my hands.

"Yes… no…yes, I don't know. There's so much I don't know anymore. First I believe there's only one dimension, then we end up here. Then I believe it to be a dream when we meet Sev again, and then… Tequila, it was… then she reveals that my entire past, the past and present of the Republic, is all a fictional universe to some people here… then we arrive here, and lose… and lose… lose Sev, to those monsters. Now? Now Scorch, one of the two remaining brothers I have, is lying in there, with his leg chewed off, and may have to lose it. And… and…" He stops himself, tremors going through him, causing him to shake and grip the edges of the sink to stabilize himself.

"I'm sorry… should I go?"

"N-No… no, not… you don't have to. It's just… I can come to terms with death and blood, grew up with it. But no one, not even the Jedi, would bother recovering a dead clone unless he had some vital intelligence. And yet, Kaidan he… risked, risks, his life by going into this big room to get the body that even me and Boss weren't willing to look for. And because we weren't there, Kaidan gets this thing on his face, and could die as well… I just… all I knew to be true… my world is coming apart at the seams, and I don't know if that's good or bad. I grew up learning that my life wasn't worth shit, that I had to _die for the Republic_, and I had to like it. Now I'm suddenly treated like a regular person, and I have to deal with other people feeling sorry for me." He says, then stops his rant after a long, deep breath.

"You are not accustomed to being treated like a real person, or having people, other than your team care for you… I think I understand. I don't know what it's like, but I think I understand. Coffee? It'll be good for your nerves." I try with a smile, but it doesn't seem to work as well as I could have hoped.

"You're pretty smart for someone your age… and yes, I'd like that." He says, turning his sad frown into what I can almost call a smile. Although the sadness and dread is still evident in his eyes. I turn to make an extra cup, and return with it to him, having remained in the same place as before. He accepts the cup, and brings it to his nose, sniffing in the smell of mashed and powdered coffee-beans.

"I suppose that comes with having a divine being use my head as an apartment and a speaker." I say with a shrug, taking a sip from my own coffee while watching the window. I can see Scorch from here, still lying still as if in some kind of coma. What I can't see is Kaidan and the two women. I suppose that means they are operating on him or something, I don't know.

"I suppose it does…" He says before taking a swig from the cup; "What's it like?"

"Having Roku in my head?"

"Yeah… is it painful or disturbing or?" This is the first time anyone's asked me this, and as much as I find it to be a bit weird discussing, I suppose anything that can get Fixer's mind of off Scorch, will be a good thing to discuss.

"A proper comparison would be to have a Jedi constantly inside your head, talking via the force… or however they do that mind-thing."

"So… he can control your thoughts?" The clone looks a bit uncomfortable with the prospect of having a potential brain-washed on the team. I put down my mug and raise my hands in a, I think, reassuring manner;

"No, no… he can control my body in the case of me being close to death, like I was back in the port. Then he pulls some sick spirit-stuff that would make Dooku soil his drawers, and I end up with brief amnesia and a headache that could kill a droid."

"Sounds… entertaining."

"It is… for Roku." I reply with a smile. As much as I've actually largely ignored Fixer in the past, he's a good guy to talk to.

"I wonder if Kaidan's going to be alright…" Fixer says, looking back at the med-bay.

…

04:13 (Hanshan time)

"How long has it been?" I ask, lifting my face from the table. I must have fallen asleep, despite the coffee. Next to me, Garrus places a hand on my shoulder.

"About four hours…" He says with a solemn voice. I don't like it.

"You don't sound very cheery?"

"It's… It's Kaidan." He says, looking away. My stomach immediately becomes a lake of ice. _Oh Mara, don't tell me he's…_

"What?" I dare ask, fearing what might come next. Suddenly Garrus smiles at me;

"He's gonna make it. Lawson apparently made a crucial difference in the surgery, and they got the bug out of him, squealing and everything." He says. The Turian is one big smile, even a human can see that.

"So… he's going to be alright?" I ask with eyelids about to fall down again. I'm tired as hell, but if what Garrus is saying is true, then I'm also really glad as well.

"Yeah. Docs say he just need some rest now. As… do we all I think." I nod to him, slowly getting up from the table and the chair I've apparently spent the last four hours on. As soon as I move, I can feel the truth in that statement, as my hindquarters are screaming from the pain. As I practically limp for the elevator, I notice Ashley is coming out from the med-bay as well, joining the 'crowd' headed for the elevator. The smile on her face tells me everything I might have needed to know, and helps my mood back to where it was before we even arrived on this hellhole of a planet.

"Great job Beautiful. I think Kaidan will be in…*yawn* in your debt forever… damn, I'm tired… you?" I say, although the longing for my bunk is starting making conversing a bit harder.

"Ready to drop dead… but it was worth… worth…*yawn* worth it. Kaidan is safe, and we spaced the critter, making sure we were rid of it…" _Wait…spaced?_

"Are we *yawn* are we in orbit or something?" I ask, leaning back against the wall in the elevator. Ash follows my example while Fixer slides to the floor, starting to snore. _I thought the clones slept in in the pods?_

"Yeah… I think we left the surface an hour ago or something… Godammit I'm ready to hit the deck…I mean sheets… and that thing? Ugh, it was disgusting to handle, even with gloves on."

"I can *Yawn* Imagine…" I say as we exit the elevator headed for our quarters. Every person in the group heads for their bed, and drops down on it. Fixer though… what happened to him? Looking back, I realize he's still stuck snoring away in the elevator.

With a tired sigh, I go back and grab his arms, hauling him into the crew-quarters and dropping him on Kaidan's bed. No use in worrying about places now, and I head back to my own bunk as well, tossing my shoes and uniform off and climbing under the pillows. _If… anyone wakes me before 09:00, he or she follows the bug out the airlock…_

…

"Get up corporal, you've overslept." A female voice says, dragging me out of bed and onto the floor with a hard _bump_, causing my shoulder to flare up in pain.

"Gaahhh…. Go to hell…. I iz tired… sleep now…" I mutter, climbing back in bed. A bed that isn't there anymore.

"It's go to hell _ma'am!_" the woman says again, forcing me to look up at whoever is speaking.

"Fine… fine what i- what the fuck?" I shout as I look upon the… person who threw me out of bed. The entire body is that of an Asari, utterly naked and displaying all the physical similarities to human women. The head…. above the shoulder rests a trio of heads, Jane, Anna and Miranda.

"I said get up! We have to conquer Korhal, and the Zerg are invading. Get in your gear!" I lift myself up without really knowing why or how, and suddenly I find myself in some sort of weird blue armor. It even makes me two meters tall. _What the hell? Can I fly? _I flail my arms up and down, noting how it lifts me off the ground. And what is a Zerg?

"Cool… Hey Raynor, you ready?" A man says. For some reason, I know he's talking to me, so I turn around to see another big suit or whatever it is, standing next to me. The helmet is off, and shows the head of a nearly bald man with a cigar in his mouth. _Who the fuck are you, and who the hell am I to you?_

"Yeah buddy… I'm ready." I say. Okay, so I guess I'm ready… _for what?_

"Good, we're-incoming!" He shouts, and suddenly I find myself on the surface of a planet, with what looks like stars falling to the ground around me.

"_We are infinite, you are bacteria!"_

"_We are the carebears, here to spread fun, love AND DEATH!"_ What in the name of fuck? A whole legion of pissing teddy-bears are marching towards me and the guy in the blue armor, shooting stars at us. Without even thinking, I bring up a gun that would make the terminator piss himself, and open fire at the beings, shredding their ranks.

"Yeah baby, get some!" The man shouts, using his bare hands to rip apart a teddy bear, all the while they have all become Ewoks, and are throwing stones at us, as well as spears.

"_Our numbers will darken the sky on EVERY WORLD!"_

"Dieeeeeeee! For the Empire!" Suddenly the man has been replaced with Imperial Storm Troopers, and they all storm some hill in a poorly animated forest, shooting laser at teddy bears while getting hit with… flying pooh? Why am I in a gorilla-cage, and why are all the animals looking at me from _outside _the pen? And why are they all collectors. About the time one of the pieces of pooh hits my shoe, a voice booms through the air.

"_I know you feel this human!"_

"Noooo, I don't want to smell it!" I shout, sitting up in bed so quickly that I smash my head into the bunk above me, waking the guy above me, who happens to be some Latin dude with a Mohawk and big biceps.

"Oi, oi, oi! Que pasa Loco?" He grunts, hammering a fist into the bars in the bed. What did he just call my mother?

"Sorry what now?" I grumble, rubbing my sore forehead while I'm looking at the time. It's seven thirty-two. Odd, normally we would be hauled out of bed by six-o'clock. _Well, not that I'm complaining… more sleep for me the-_

"Alright assholes, breakfast is ready, so get ye arses up and get some grub." The voice of Nicolai shouts. And why is he speaking with a Scottish accent… and why does his shirt say "_I 3 Haggis"_

"Damn right people. Ok, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? It's another glorious day in the Corps. A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm; every meal a banquet, every pay check a fortune, every formation a parade. I love the Corps!" A man next to me suddenly starts shouting while he's marching up and down the floor. The weirdest thing is, I've seen this guy before. Well, that isn't weird, seeing as I've been here for more than two months now. The weird thing is, that he is dead, and is called Stg. Apone. Also we're no longer in the crew-quarters, but are all rising from cryo-sleep chambers.

"Wait a… I'm still asleep, aren't I?" I ask to no one in particular. Suddenly the sergeant comes to stand in front of me, and opens his mouth with the same ghastly glow as the hallucinations on Feros;

"Make us whole!"

October 11th

09:11

I fly from my bed and onto the floor, hitting it face-first and almost breaking my nose in the process. After realizing that I'm not waking anyone up, I look around. That's when I notice that it's because I'm actually the only one in here. Dammit, I must have overslept. I swear, if I find the douche who turned off my alarm-clock, I'm gonna… wait a second, I don't even _have_ an alarm-clock.

"_Now… I have been quite busy tonight, so…"_

"_Let me guess, that was what caused the most fucked up dream I've had in a month?"_

"_I'm afraid so, yes… now, I have some good news, aaaand some bad news." _Roku says, causing me to rub my eyes and remember the fucked up feeling of a flying feces shouting 'you feel this' and having Apone bellow that creepy thing the hallucinations screamed at me on Feros. I groan inwardly, almost fearing what comes next. _Give it to me doc, how long do I have?_

"_Well… that was a joke, right? Never mind, the good news are that I have successfully repaired all trauma and damage to your neural network."_

"_And the bad news?" _I raise a brow at the wall.

"_Well… I may have had a hand in your deterioration. You see, when I take control, especially like what happened on Noveria, it tends to damage part of your brain. Hence the rather bad behavior and all the headaches. Still, there is something else that hurts you… part of your brain, the part that controls empathy and what some would call 'the ability to determine right from wrong' is being harmed by occasional ultra-sound… and I have no idea as to the source. Suspects, yes… but actual ideas? No."_

"_Great… but I'm okay for now?"_

"_Should be yes… though I suspect some solution must be found to the problem of me hurting you… meditation perhaps?" _

…

"Well look who's finally up!" Garrus shouts, causing the group at the table to look up at me. The group isn't all that big actually. Mostly it's the people from the mess hall last night, John and Tali. I breathe in through my nose, catching the aroma of oatmeal and butter, synthetic as it may be, as well as sugar.

While the others return to their conversing, I grab a bowl and pour some of the gluey stuff onto it, before nestling down in my usual spot, greeted 'good morning' with a cheek-kiss from Ash, seeing as I have yet to brush my teeth,, and as such my breath could kill a xeno. _If only…_

"Morning guys… and girls." I say with a smile, nudging Ash's neck while using my left hand to operate the spoon to follow orders. It's harder than it sounds.

"Morning Thomas. I trust you enjoyed being able to sleep for more than three hours?" John asks, although with some… distance? In his voice. I shrug it off. I'm just imagining stuff I'm sure.

"Very much sir. Staying up till shit'o clock has a way of messing with my inner clockworks." I say with a smile as I finish my breakfast.

After a few minutes of conversing, the group breaks up, each heading to their respective posts. I place my bowl next to the others', granting Nicolai the funny job of the dishwasher and cleaner. Hey, I got him a job, I have a right to be just a little smug, no? As the other leave, I notice John is waiting for me, beckoning for me to go to him.

"Yes Commander?" I ask, having fallen into the role of a soldier. It really does give the ship a more professional atmosphere.

"I have some things I would like to discuss with you. What are your thoughts on the last mission?" He asks, seemingly wanting my open and honest opinion. Not that I would give anything else, but it helps when a guy gets asked for it.

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"You know you don't need that on my ship. Shoot." He says as we walk through the room towards the elevator.

"It's bullshit sir, pure bullshit. We went in there to save people, and what did we end up with? Minus one living crewmember, one with a leg less than when he arrived, and we almost lost Kaidan. We didn't save a single one, out of the five-hundred or so people there. And now the council is gonna be on our asses because we didn't get them any live toys. I say screw it. if they want a bug, they can go get it themselves… sir."

"I agree, but actually we did manage to save someone."

"We… did, John?"

"Yes… a small kid by the name of Bashír, I think. He's sleeping in the captain's cabin right now, and Chakwas is with him. Only person on this whip who wouldn't startle him I think…"

"Christ… how did he survive?" I ask as we enter the elevator.

"Seemingly, he was saved by Scorch and Sev, as well as a Salarian who was later killed when we arrived. Stabbed through the back by a tail… those screams… but the kid seems alright. We haven't been able to get anything from Scorch yet, and the boy is asleep for now. We'll see if he has some family one the Citadel, or perhaps on Illium…"

"Damn… out of all those people, one kid survives… reminds me of the movie, if you don't mind me saying so, sir." I say as we exit the elevator on deck three.

"No worries, I've had that thought myself. But, there is something else I want to talk to you about. The surgery of Lieutenant Alenko was only a success because of a female doctor who helped direct the operation from a laptop. A laptop you brought inside the med-bay… who was that woman, and how did she know how to remove a parasite of that type?"

"Oh… I… don't know how to respond to that sir. I was honestly just looking for _something_ that could save Kaidan, and came across her." It isn't a total lie, but not the truth either. At least I feel bad about lying to him, so I should be fine again. Well, 'me'-fine, that is.

"Now… let's address the matter of our guest here, shall we?" John says, and I suddenly realize just why and where we are: Right next to Jacob's cell. _Crap, if he tells John… No, I need to come clean before Jacob says something negative…_

"Ehm… Shepard, can I talk to you real quick?" I ask, verbally tugging him away from the cell. When we get some distance to the brig, I stop with my back to John, and breathe in. This was not exactly what I had in mind, and John will butcher me if he finds out I've been making 'deals' with members of Cerberus.

"Okay, what is it?" John asks with a curious, yet demanding voice.

"Alright… John, you know that where I come from, all of this has already happened, and Hudson made a second story about his stay here, right?" I ask, praying that he might actually remember it.

"Yes… as disturbing as it is, that's what I've understood. About two or so years from now, am I right?"

"Completely. Well, the xeno's weren't part of Hudson's retelling, but the general happenings haven't changed yet. Listen, before you decide what to do with Jacob, or by extension his men, there are some things you need to know, to understand my actions, so to speak." I just _know_ I'm saying all the wrong words, because John's posture is getting more and more strained, like he is impatient for me to get to the point.

"Why do I feel like I'm not going to like this?"

"Alright… first: John, not all members of Cerberus are evil bastards who enjoy making aliens suffer. People like Jacob are simply in it to protect humanity, not to stomp on aliens… okay that might have been pronounced badly, but… okay. The Doctor who helped Chakwas and Ash save Kaidan? She… is also a member of Cerberus. And before you assume anything: No, I'm not in any way at all involved with Cerberus." _Actually I might have broken some rules on interrogation with my threats… _

"Why… why would I think you were with Cerberus? That would be plain stupid, if you ask me." Relief washes over me as I hear those words. Okay, so round one is home. Now I just need to get him to spare and maybe even free Jacob and his crew. Cerberus or not, they did save our lives.

"But then there is the matter of Mister Taylor… you seem to know him quite a bit. What sort of person is he, and why should I stop the eventual vengeance that Boss or Fixer might try to enact on him?" Okay… this one is going to be a bit harder to pull off.

"From what I know of Jacob, he is a dependable sort of guy, doesn't hate anyone, is loyal to his commanding officer, as well as his men, before himself. He is a pretty nice guy, once you get to know him, and would stop to help a Quarian, just as he would a human. But, if you threaten humanity, like the Reapers are doing, he won't leave you standing. All in all, he isn't the bad guy Cerberus mostly consists of."

For a long time, John looks like he doesn't know what to say, and I don't blame him. He has spent the majority of his adult life hating and fearing Cerberus, and now I'm asking him to not hate a member of Cerberus when said member has practically been delivered on a silver platter. I'll do my best to dissuade any killing of captives, but I won't put myself between those two if John really decides to go for the kill.

"So… let's say, just for a minute, that we don't punish him for the sins of his organization. What then?" He finally says. I shrug, not really knowing what would be realistic to expect here.

"I don't know… they saved our lives, so maybe we could end the debt by having them dropped off on some world inside council jurisdictions, and then the council could try and capture them on their own? I have no idea as how to handle this, but it feels wrong to deliver the people who saved my life to a life-time in a cell. Just saying." I haven't forgotten how Kaidan is still alive because Jacob was able to get Miranda on the phone. We would have lost our lieutenant if not for that fact.

"Hmm… I don't know… it'll be about one or two weeks before we return to the Citadel. I'll give it some thought, and if I decide to let them go, then… I don't know. We'll see to that time." He says. I realize that I probably can't persuade him to anything if he's already got his mind on something. I just hope he won't kill Jacob. That'd put one hell of a dent in project Lazarus, if that ever comes to.

"So… will that be all, sir?" I ask. I still have to get to the armory in the cargo-hold and make repairs on my armor. I'm pretty sure the thing took one hell of a beating.

"Yes. I think I would like some time alone with Mister Taylor. Don't worry; I won't hurt him, if that's what you're afraid of. Dismissed." I nod, turning to walk back to the elevator. _Please John, don't do something as stupid as I'm probably going to someday._

…

SSV Normandy

Deck three - Crew quarters, gym and brig

10:02 (Ship time)

Watching the corporal walk away, John'Shepard mentally sighed, cursing the ancestors for all the messed up shit that crazy son of a bosh'ted had brought into his life. _He is an odd one, indeed…_ he thought, watching as the corporal's form disappeared when the doors to the lift shut between them.

Thomas had, knowingly or not, caused the Quarian commander to somewhat reevaluate his own life, having learnt of the entire trans-universal issue, as well as the fact that no matter how good a friend and loyal a soldier Fisher and his buddy Tengberg were to him and each other, some part of them would always consider Jane, his newly acquired 'second-in-command' to be the real commander. And honestly, he always carried a small fear of what would happen if he asked them to choose sides. He would openly admit it: He had himself gained some respect for the red-head, seeing how she handled stressful situations as well as the way she had been able to hold her own on several occasions.

That being said, he had no intentions of resigning his post and letting her command _his_ ship.

Shaking his head, he mentally shoved those thoughts from his mind. There was no need to worry about things that would never come to pass, seeing as they were all on the same side, and not competitors. Jane was, seemingly, content with her role as the ship's captain, having command when he was of-board, and handling logistics that would give him a headache. Also he constantly toyed with the idea of testing out just which one of them were the strongest biotic. Although to tell the truth, he held no illusions of losing to her if that ever came to pass. She might be strong, but he had never been bested before, and didn't intend to ever let that happen. The only issue he actually had with her, concerned the fragments of conversation he had overheard from the others.

Still, that had to wait to another time, seeing as he still had a 'guest' waiting for him. Turning from facing the elevator, Shepard walked to stand next to the cell door, gazing at the man inside, wondering just what thoughts went through the mind of a Cerberus operative like him.

"So… Mister Jacob Taylor. I believe a proper introduction is in order here, before we begin. I am, as you might have guessed, the commander of this ship. My name is John'Shepard vas Normandy nar Rayya, and you are my guest here for a while, just like I have been guest of your boss's in the past. We're going to talk a bit, you and I, and if you behave, and answer all my questions, allthewhile you don't provoke me, I think we can become good friends indeed, and then we can probably work something out concerning you and your team. Are we… clear?" John said, standing in front of the cell with his hands behind his back. The operative remained seated, but turned his head to look at the commander. He nodded;

"Excellent." John said, adopting a more casual attitude while dragging a chair in front of the cell; "Now, let's start with you, shall we? Name, rank and attitude towards Aliens?" John asked. Jacob looked a bit surprised at the way the questions were asked.

"Jacob Taylor. Lieutenant and… I'm not sure what to answer to the last question. Not a spiciest?" He said with a somewhat wavering stare.

"Hmm… well, I suppose that matches with what Fisher told me. Now, Jacob. Can I call you that?" He asked, for a moment startling the captive with his genuine voice. Judging from the way the dark-skinned man looked at him, John had successfully confused him. A fact he was rather happy with. In the end, he just received another nod.

"Good. Now, why don't you tell me just what your organization had going on Noveria, and why you were suddenly found in the crosshairs of my men? Know that I realize that your intervention saved a bunch of my people, so don't be afraid of being honest with me. I'll know if you're lying, and… I don't like it when people lie to me." He said the last part while gently brushing one of the knives hanging from his belt, not taking his eyes off the man in front of him.

…

October 19th

Acturus Station

Maintenance hangar 12B

17:22 (Actual Acturus time)

"Alright, let me know when the next batch is ready." Anna Fisher said, dismissing the technician as he nodded and returned to the construction of the prototype star-ship in front of the pair. Looking after him, the Admiral couldn't help a small smirk form on her lips.

It had only been a little more than a week since she had been given the plans for the LA/AT-gunship, the one all the techs had been (almost) literally dying to start production of, seeing as the ship, even if it didn't prove to be as good as promised, still carried the prospect of showing new ways of running FTL-travel that wasn't based on Element zero. Not only that, but the materials used in production were actually easier to obtain than the standard titanium alloys normally used in fighters and bigger ships, as the materials were obtained, not by mining, but by harvesting. As odd as she had first thought it to be, the Admiral did know of the method of growing carbon-based molecular metals with this method. So far, the main issue with this had been that she had been banned from using said materials by several of the bigger contractors of the Alliance. It had 'upset the balance of economy and disturbed their benefactors in Citadel space' she had been told. It was only due to her ability to make due with screaming mentally that she had refrained from having said pencil-pusher thrown out the airlock of her dreadnaught. As far as she saw it, it wouldn't have been a major loss to the galaxy to rid it of one more bureaucrat.

Still, as she oversaw the long lines of skeleton-state gunships riding the assembly line, she remembered the headache her uncle had tossed her way only eleven days ago. At first when he had said a shit-storm was headed their way, she had assumed the council was going to complain due to her constructing a dreadnaught that pretty much dwarfed the Destiny Ascension. The reality and seriousness of the truth had made her wish the Council really had wanted to arrest her or whatever they would do to people overstepping the Treaty of Farixen like she was doing.

"Reapers" she muttered, mulling over the word.

It had a somewhat funny taste as she let it roll over her tongue. The term Reaper did, for humans, originate with one who collected his crops when they were due. It was then applied to the personification of Death, being called the 'Grim Reaper', and, as far as she knew, it was the only reason why Hackett had given the assumed doomsday-machines that name. Given the supposed purpose of these things, the name really was catchy. Not that the name being catchy made her job any easier.

"Defending the galaxy against immortal killer robots… why does it always have to be like some B-movie?" She asked herself, looking at the datapad Hackett had given her. It was a complete recording of the meeting between him, Donnel Udina, and the Citadel Council. She fast-forwarded it to one of her favorite points in the meeting.

"_What exactly do you mean with 'galactic extinction'? What on Earth is big enough to snuff out life as we know it? A pulsar?" _Hackett had asked, standing with a hand under his bearded chin. The recording had been done by a military advisor, so it was shoulder-viewed from some meters above the meeting, probably from a balcony. It was then that Sparatus, or _Spartacus_, as she preferred to refer to the turian by, started talking;

"_No… we have been… informed, that a bigger threat than anything we have encountered so far is headed our way. The Reapers." _

"_I'm sorry, what?"_

"_Admiral, I'm sure you remember the trial against Saren Arterius, the rouge Turian Spectre. If not, then go watch the damned recording of it. Shepard and Anderson said that Saren was trying to bring back the Reapers."_ The Turian said, clearly showing signs of inner turmoil. Anna couldn't help but be slightly amused, despite the graveness of the situation, over the bone-faced councilor's distress. He had, as far as she recalled, been one of the most adamant opponents to the very idea of sentient killer-ships waiting to harvest all life in the galaxy. And especially the idea of someone alive willing to help them do so. She couldn't help but wonder just what had changed their minds, or 'who' this person or group who had informed them might be. Now however, Udina, the pen-pusher, took the floor, so to speak;

"_Councilor, are you serious? Reapers? If this is some kind of demented joke, then I am afraid I do not see the funny in it. Explain." _Even from the camera, Anna could read the Turian's face as a sneer. Great, another one who didn't like Udina.

"_The Council has received overwhelming evidence of the existence of these Reapers, or at least one of them. Saren's flagship, the one seen on Eden Prime? That thing, is a Reaper, and apparently the vanguard of the rest of its kind."_

"_See, this is why I ask myself what the hell I'm doing here… just why… let's say we do believe that these Reapers are going to show up on our doorstep. What do you intend to do about it?" _Udina asked with a deep frown on his face. What came next, if not for the reason, would have caused most species militaries to jump in their seats with a glass of champagne, or their equivalent to it.

"_First of… it is the decision of this council… to revoke the treaty of Farixen." _Tevos said, replacing the Turian who didn't seem like he could find the right words. That very sentence didn't fail to send shivers down the admiral's spine, and this was the fourth time she had watched that particular scene. She stopped the recording as it zoomed in on the frozen, yet both horrified and exhilarated faces of the two humans in focus.

The revocation of the treaty was basically in her ears the same as yelling 'All hands to the shipyards!' though it might mean something a little different. But for her, it was a day she had longed for ever since noting how much bigger the Turian fleet was than the Alliance's. With regular intervals, she, as well as several other admirals and political leaders had pleaded for the treaty to at least be loosened a bit, and allow the Alliance to construct more dreadnaughts. Now? Now it was removed completely, and she hadn't wasted a second before setting a large-scale plan in motion. A plan that concerned the construction of, not one, not five nor ten, but _fifteen_ new dreadnaughts, whereof the ten would be of the new _Gorgon_-design. Officially, the new ship was just a dreadnaught meant for the role of a prototype. But unofficially, it was her plan to allow an old friend to take over the Hong Kong, and assume command of the new ship herself. Problem just was, some people would see that as her lining her own pockets. Or ships, in this case. True, she did feel like taking a high-powered, multi-million ton, prototype warship for herself, but she _had_ been the one emptying her own pockets, and staying up more than one night, in order to get the things done her way. A series of heavy footsteps from behind her caught her attention and caused her to turn to face the newcomer.

"When was the last time you slept?" She asked the old man, actually having recognized his way of waking before she saw him.

"I think… I know I've been up for more than twenty-four hours, but beyond that… I think I took a quick nap sometime the day before yesterday. You?" She asked, noticing how her uncle had grey and purple bags under his eyes.

"Pretty much the same here, although I _try_ to get some sleep. You seem hell-bent on avoiding it altogether."

"Yeah well, we _do_ have an impending invasion from giant robo-squids coming our way. I'll sleep when I've jacked a fission-bomb up their collective butt-holes, and kicked them all back to whatever dark and stinky hole they are about to crawl out of." She replied with a smirk, watching as a mix of robotics and technicians were busy flash-growing the plating for _her_ new ship.

"You always seem to find the right words, don't you?" The old man said with a small chuckle, silently admiring his niece's ability to stay somewhat optimistic even during times like these.

"Yeah well, it's a gif I have. Aaand, it sure as hell helps on the mood that my new ship can, theoretically, give the Ascension a fisting." She said with an impish smirk. Hackett couldn't help but put a hand to his forehead. He would never be rid of her cursing, would he?

"Dear Gods, girl… why do you _have _to use that sort of language?"

"Mmm, you don't approve?" She asked with a pout. Hackett sighed. One of these days, he would _have_ to have her re-re-re-examined by a psychologist. The charlatans he had been at the previous times as all cleared his niece for duty. Nevertheless, he remained convinced that something was very wrong with her. An old lady, an admiral even, who sweared, cursed and overall behaved like she was a teenager, was not normal. Nor was it encouraged among the admiralties of the Alliance. Still, he supposed there had to be a reason why she was the most publically know admiral, next after him of course, and why the magazines loved writing about her, and the crowd loved reading about her. He mentally groaned as he went over the different headlines in his head. "_Alliance Admiral found possessing collection of self-acquired pirate-genitals" _or what about_ "Admiral Anna Fisher of the Alliance molests Krogan prisoner of war. Claims the former slaver 'had it coming'"_ He sighed, realizing that those exact scandals were probably the very reason why the public loved her, and why there was a price on her head in the Terminus.

"I swear, one of these days I'm going to have a little chat with your mother young lady, about your behavior." He replied with a voice that started out stern and hard, but ended in a smile.

"Oh no, I'll get grounded for sure. Please uncle, don't do it." She replied with a fake-frightened face; "Pff, as if. If I didn't get grounded for adding that Balak-fella's balls to my collection, how do you plan on taking me down?" She said. That was one point in her military career she had always trumped him on. She had been younger back then, but she had responded where the rest of the Alliance could not, inserted herself and a small team of N7-soldiers on the asteroid bound for Terra Nova, raided the station there and captured the Batarian leader. What she did to him after that was a public secret. It certainly wasn't because she had a camera in the room where he had been strapped to a metal-table, retrained with primitive chains. And it certainly wasn't because she had castrated the animal with a knife, and not on what was live system-wide TV.

"True… though it didn't really help on our relations with the Hegemony. Pirate or not, he was a Batarian, and I suspect that they were a little upset over seeing you cut him open on screen." He said, remembering the outrage she had caused on the Citadel. That was back when the Batarians still had an embassy there.

"Bullshit. You know as well as I do that the Hegemony is financing those fuckers. Besides, with this kind of firepower, they'll think twice before pissing me off again." She muttered, pressing on the fact they both knew to be true. Theoretically, the Batarians had long since crossed the line to declare war on humanity, but evidence always seemed to 'disappear' about who was behind the attacks. And as such the Alliance couldn't take action.

"That may be, but for now we have more pressing issues than your lust for molesting and torture."

"Oh well, you can't really blame me for treating them 'in-humane', can you?" She asked with her arms crossed over her chest and a vicious smirk on her lips. Hackett couldn't do anything but sigh. For some reason, the conversations with his niece made him sigh and groan more than anything else in his daily routine.

"Anyway, what is the status on these new gunships your… brother, gave you?" He asked with a headache mounting from that word alone. _Brother… what God decided to make my niece the most scientifically messed up person in the galaxy?_ He groaned as he looked at the assembly-line spitting out the heavy-duty transports, as well as some that looked like they were meant to hold some sort of cargo under their belly.

"I was wondering when you'd come to that." She said with a proud smile; "The LA/AT gunships, or the 'Flying Fists' as I've dubbed them, are ready to be sent into active duty as soon as we have instructed the pilots in how to use them." She really did have a reason to be proud. In less than a week, she had not only been granted clearance to start the construction of these machines of war, she had also not wasted a minute before having the factories and shipyards begin pumping them out.

"How many?"

"Would it give you a stroke to know that I have more than one hundred ready to fly?" She asked with coy smile. Seemingly, the question hadn't been all that ungrounded, as the older admiral staggered back a few steps, a look of shock plastered on his face.

"That many? How the heck did you accomplice that?"

"I…. might have asked some people outside the council for their help. In return for some… let's say 'later services', they have sent some advisors in utilizing materials to the max, as well as methods for circumventing different issues with engines and shielding." She said, assuming her uncle could guess the rest from there.

"Outside the Council… as in not having an embassy, or just like us?"

"As in not having an embassy." She just replied as a matter of factly.

"It wouldn't by any chance be the same sort of deal the council has made with the Quarians, that in exchange for aid against the geth, the Quarians would send advisors and other… technicians to assist with constructing ships of the very same design you are currently building?" Hackett asked with a small smile. It seemed to him that his niece had finally slipped, and as much of a catastrophe as it could be right now, he reveled in it. It was always the other way around for those two. And as he expected, the face of his niece just grew a little bit paler.

"Wh-what? Xen that cheeky bitch! She traded her advisors and techs in return for help from the Alliance in retaking Rannoch when their end of the bargain was done. And why the fuck wasn't _I_ informed of this little cooperation? Do you have any dea of how much cash I've spent on this project? I… Damn it all…" She muttered before uttering a few curses the Admiral was thankful he couldn't hear.

"Now, I do have some sort of 'good news' for you, if you can call it that. For some reason, the council doesn't seem to have received plans for the Eezo-free ship-engines, the gunships or the proton-torpedoes, meaning you'll still have the lead there… but I'm assuming you are going to share the tech, right?" He asked, seeing how her face regained its color as well as the confident smile;

"Oh, I'll share them alright… I'll even give the other races a live demonstration when I'm steering this…" She said, pointing at the two kilometer long vessel being constructed behind her; "… right past the Citadel in formation with hundreds of the gunships." She had certainly had her confidence back, but Hackett did grow a little wary of the way her eyes glistered when talking about human supremacy. Apparently, she read his mind;

"Oh relax, I'm not about to forge the 'Imperium of Man', if that's what you're afraid of. Now, seeing as there are lots of the gunships ready and waiting, how about a tour above my new flagship?" She said, pointing to one of the gunships currently being transported towards the hangars. Hackett scratched his beard;

"I didn't think any of our pilots had been shown how to operate these things yet?" He was somewhat unnerved by the way Anna looked at him, and the smile she grew;

"Who said anything about a pilot?" She said, heading for the hangars. Hackett suddenly saw it fit to make sure he had his cellphone ready to contact an ambulance, just in case;

"Wait, you're not seriously considering-" He started. As he followed her to the ships lined up in the adjacent hangar.

"Why the heck not? Besides, I need to do something else than simply sit behind a desk or walk the halls of a factory." She responded as she almost shoved him up the ladder to the cockpit. Unknown to her, Hackett was secretly praying to not only his fathers' God, but to every single type of deity of there, that his niece actually knew what she was doing, as he had _no_ idea himself as to how to fly the ship. His fear only grew as he had to follow her example and strap in, allthewhile techs nearby were busy removing fuel tubes, magnetic clamps and obstructions. As unusual as it was, when an admiral wanted to take one of her birds for a spin, the regular tech or marine rarely dared oppose him or her. Especially when the admirals in question were Admirals Fisher and Hackett.

As he finished praying, the old admiral could only look in horror as the glass closed down, sealing both of them inside the relatively small cockpit. Sitting in a fighter wasn't something that bothered the admiral. Especially since that was how his career had started out. What bothered him though-

"Hold on tight, this might get rough!" Anna screamed in what almost sounded like childish joy and excitement.

-was the fact that it was his niece flying the fighter.

"God help me…"

* * *

**And now at least one of you will be wondering why I didn't mention nuking Noveria? Thomas had no saying on that one, and it _was_ done while he slept, face-desk and all, so... yeah. Blame that one on writer's block I was having earlier this week :(**

**Remember: Report incoherency and otherwise. The quicker the better. Still, don't just review with my mess-ups, but tell me what you- nah, I think you guys already know what I'm asking, don't you?**

**Remember: My story, no matter how far it progresses, is in your hands, so...**

**...thank you, Good Night, and Good Luck!**


	32. The Ceremony of Induction

To Gilbert Lee Vera

May you and Megan have a long and happy life together.

* * *

**A/N**

**Alright folks. Before we start out, I'd like to wish Gilbert Lee Vera a happy new life with his Megan, and for the both of them to live happily ever after, like in those cute books :)**

**I wanted to get this out yesterday, but time wasn't on my side, so let this be my little way of contributing. **

**Good luck Gilbert**

* * *

**Regular A/N:**

**Well, this will be the very first chapter of it's kind. Why? You may ask... well, let's just say that more sensitive readers should bypass this one, as it involves some major fluff, romance and... I'll tell you down below ;)**

* * *

Three days earlier.

October 16th

SSV Normandy, Illium.

"So… we just let them go?"

"I know what you mean Vakarian, but in essence: yes. We're letting them go."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." John nods, turning to face Garrus after their little argument is over. I can't say I'll miss having Jacob on board, now that he's being booted onto Illium with the remainder of his team. How the hell John pulled that stunt off, I'll never know. It's funny though. As much as I'm glad that Jacob is now off the ship, more specifically walking down the ramp from the ship to the docks, I'll miss messing with his mind. I know it sounds weird, maybe even cruel, but being in a position of power like that, knowing everything worth knowing about him… it just felt glorious. It may be wrong, morally speaking, but hell if I enjoyed the last five days. John seems… thoughtful, having returned with a large soft package under his arm. I haven't asked him what it is, since I doubt he'll keep it a secret if it is important. And if not, then it just isn't my problem.

The team, now dressed in civilian clothes is waiting for him further down the dock. Hey, we released them. That doesn't mean they should be allowed to keep armor belonging to the Alliance and the Council.

"I think it's for the best, you know." I speak my mind. I haven't yet told them what significance Jacob and Miranda will play… might play in the future, as that would involve explaining project Lazarus, which involves either John or Jane being dead. Something I'd like to avoid, or at the very least postpone until I'm sure Timmy will resurrect them. And, looking as Jacob is actually _tackled_ by one of his team-members, I can't help but feel I'm right, in this being for the best.

"I beg to disagree… but so far most of your little… ideas have turned out well enough Fisher." A new two-flanged voice says, and turning to face the newcomer, I'm greeted with a brown- and white painted bone-face. Our resident Spectre, Nihlus, doesn't seem to be catching on to the happy mood of… something, I guess. Actually, looking around, I'm the only one happy about the release of Cerberus operatives, and I'm the one who punched Jacob in the face.

"Don't let it get to my head Nihlus, I might get cocky." I reply with a smile. He may be hardcore, even for a turian, but Nihlus really needs to lighten up a few times, and let me be the dark one. I'm the one who's died the most after all.

"I don't intend to, don't you worry corporal." He says, heading back into the ship. I sigh, taking a hand to the bridge of my nose. _Damn, why does he have to be so pissed about this?_ Then I also remember. Cerberus is an enemy of the council, and Nihlus is a council Spectre. Therefore he _will_ mistrust Jacob and his team-mates, if not attempt to have them outright killed.

Giving the reunited team one last look, I head back inside as well. Time to get to a move on I guess… wonder where we're headed next. And I wonder what the package was that John was here to pick up as well. Didn't look like it was a weapon…

…

October 19th

Acturus Station

Gunship LA/AT-0071

A lot of different people had different opinions about Admiral Anna Fisher. Some called her mad, some called her a strategic genius. Some called her a monster due to her treatment of captured pirates and slavers, and yet some called her hero.

For Her colleague and lawful Uncle Stephen Hackett though, she currently belonged in the 'mad' category. He was currently clinging to his seat, holding on for dear life as his niece pulled the ship through one, in his opinion, insane stint after the other.

"Anna! Please, stop this! My- I can't take much more of this!" He begged over her seat as she sat in front of him, arranged like the gunner and pilot of the helicopters of old. The inside of the cockpit was comfortably spacious, while not being large enough for him to move his arms to the side more than an elbow trust. The tech was state of the art, as well as a few pieces that were actually completely foreign to him. A thing Hackett didn't quite know if he should be glad for, or anxious about. He enjoyed it when the Alliance made technological breakthroughs, but he didn't enjoy it when he was volunteered to test it out with his niece as the pilot. At his pleading, the gunship quickly became more clam and stable, yet still keeping an impressive speed.

"Sorry Steve, I just love this thing. It's even more maneuverable than the Mantis, despite weighing the double. And you haven't even seen the firepower it packs, I swear it can cut any gunship in _half_!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, despite her voice being the only source of sound in the cockpit.

"What do you mean, _in half_? Like a GARDIAN-laser?" He asked. Now that the gunship was steady, he could actually enjoy the serenity of the stars around them. They were currently in a tight orbit around the station, headed for the dry-docks, and the only trace of the gunships existence was the thin white trails it left behind. The funny thing or the weird thing actually, was that condensate shouldn't be left in the wake of a vessel in space. There was no air.

"Kinda, yeah… what do you think so far?" She asked, and Hackett suddenly realized that they had rounded the station and had come into view of a _gargantum _construction taking place. In front of them, and quickly climbing to their left, was a ship of unheard of proportions. Or, the skeleton at least.

For a few moments, none of them spoke. One due to awe and shock, the other due to something akin to motherly pride. At last, after a few moments, Hackett seemed to find his tongue;

"How… how bi- it didn't look this big on the schema- how big?"

"About three and a half kilometer. What, you think I'd let the council trump me this time? I've been given a blank check by the UN president, tutoring and advice from the Quarians, and my own funding kicked this into creation even before the treaty was lifted."

"Th- three and… how in the world is that thing going to be propelled without Element Zero? I mean look at the size of that thing!" He exclaimed in disbelief.

And it really was big.

Standing at a length of three-point-seventy-five thousand meters in length, and some five hundred meters in height, the ship would surely turn out to be a monster of its kind. Most of the interior, from what Hackett could see, had already been fastened in place, and the crews and ships were all busy constructing, ferrying or securing the enormous plates of platinum-alloys, reinforced with exterior plating of carbon-based plastisteel: A metal that could be grown the same way carbon nanotubes were, just on a whole other scale. At least, that was how he had understood it.

The shape was even weirder, as it resembled nothing the Alliance had ever constructed. To give an accurate description, the whole thing looked mostly like an over-sized hand cannon, minus the handle. Then, there was the bulkiness of the thing. Overlooking the crosshair-like outcrop on the edge of the vessel, the entire thing had a sort of pillar-like structure. The image of a heptangular pillar was only disturbed by what seemed like either the command-bridge, or something entirely different, being constructed on the top of the ship. A lot of the plating was still in the process of being made, as was the armaments. But with the way work was going, Hackett imagined the ship would be finished within the next six months.

"Pretty impressive huh?" He was brought out of his trance-like state when Anna spoke. Numbly, he turned his gaze from the construction, and gave her a weak nod.

"I thought so. I would be glad if we could have it done by the time the Reapers decide to show up, particularly that one Saren rides around in, but I'm not holding my breath. We've got this much done thanks to the Quarians and their tech-savvy, but now comes the hard part."

"Which I'm almost afraid to ask, is what exactly?" Hackett asked, hardly taking his eyes off the construction of the biggest ship he had ever seen.

"Well, we got this far because so far the tech is known to us. Computers and the like. But now we come to the tricky part. I've already had a few resignations land on my desk because the engineers couldn't handle the sheer… complexity of the engines. And I understand them. It's not every day you're presented with FTL-engines capable of running without Eezo, and then expected to have them work on a deadline."

"You know, you _could_ send the schematics to the Council. I'm sure the Salarian Union would be able to help…" Hackett suggested, but was shot down.

"Hah, I'd rather eat my uniform than let those bureaucrats get their talons on this. I'll show them everything when the Alliance blasts the door in and saves the day. Not before." She grunted, letting Hackett know it wasn't up for discussion.

Anna had always been pissed over how humanity was being treated by the Council, especially the Asari and the Turians. But mostly the Asari. Where the Turians respected brute force and military strength, the blue babes would have to be forced by gunpoint to recognize shifts in the power balances. It pissed her off to no end when Tevos dismissed everything humanity had to offer, and even demanded that they acknowledged everything _she_ said. There was a reason Anna wasn't allowed in the tower anymore. Not after the incident between her and Tevos… and that bottle of brandy thrown at the Asari councilor. It was only because it didn't hit her that Anna wasn't imprisoned for violence against acting official, or whatever the crap was called.

Sparatus, she didn't have that big of a problem with. Sure, he was annoying as hell, mistrusted humanity and patronized their military, but at least he was _honest_ about it. Tevos lied through her teeth and said one thing while she did the other. A perfect example of a politician. Hell, she even made Udina look good. And that took some.

But now… Now they would all have to recognize the power of humanity, and while not fear mankind, they would certainly need a change in attitude. At the business-end of a gun if need be.

"To change the subject, what are you wearing to the ceremony?" Hackett asked, remembering the last details he had helped put in place for the wedding. His youngest granddaughter, Megan Hackett, would soon be Megan Lee Vera Hackett, or just Megan Lee Vera.

"My gala-uniform, of course. You? I'm guessing you'll be in black and white, dressed like a penguin when you follow her up the aisle, right?" She choked a laugh on the last part, biting her lip at the thought of a penguin marching up the church floor with the young blonde… or was it brunette? It had always puzzled her how the girl's hair seemed to shift in the light.

"Yes… you know, I've faced down fleets of Batarian raiders, engaged the turian fleet in the First Contact War… and I doubt I'll have ever been as nervous as in three days from now."

"Or as proud." Anna added; "Megan's a fine girl… no, a fine woman it is now… little miss sour cream is all grown up now, and getting married."

"I really wish you'd stop calling her that…" Hackett sighed, leaning back into his seat. While it wasn't the norm for the grandfather to walk the bride up the aisle, it was certainly what was expected in this case. Mainly because Megan's parents would have trouble participating in the ceremony from six foot under on Mindoir. Hackett felt a tightening in his chest at the memory. He had lost his daughter that day, three years ago, when Batarian slavers raided Mindoir and killed hundreds of civilians and soldiers. His Daughter and the mother of Megan, had been a colonel in the colony's armed forces, and had been in one of the control towers for the spaceport when a frigate fired upon it. There hadn't been anything to bury, not even a set of dog tags. Her husband, a man named Rupert Gardner, had been killed as well.

Shot for resisting capture.

"Yeah well, she is a bit pale… and it fits, hell she even laughed when I explained it to her!" Anna explained, not noticing the dark cloud gathering over Hackett's head, nor the way he gripped his seat.

"Mmm what? Sorry I was… my mind was somewhere else…" He said, blocking whatever questions she might ask about it.

"Well…. what about the groom then? I don't think I've met him." Anna said, trying to force the conversation towards a new topic.

"No… you haven't. I suppose it was mainly to ensure you didn't scare him off. His name is Gilbert, Hispanic I believe. So far I haven't seen a bad apple in his casket."

"A what in his what?"

"Oh… It means he is a decent guy from what my observations have revealed."

"He's in the Alliance?" Anna asked as she steered the gunship back towards the hangar.

"Not militarily. He works with computers, VI's and the like. I think he was part of the 'Galaxy of Fantasy' game-crew." Hackett said, remembering his last meeting with the young man. It was a dinner, at Steven's place. Which was another way of saying in the officers' longue on Acturus.

"Cool… I love that game!" She exclaimed, once again cutting off Hackett's train of thought. He leaned slightly forward to look at his niece's red and grey-haired head.

"You… play Galaxy of Fantasy?"

"Yup"

"A game designed for people up to twenty-five?"

"You bet"

"I… I don't know how to respond to that." He said, and for a few moments, none of them spoke. Then Anna seemed to remember something that had troubled her to no end, since she hadn't been able to find anything about it on the extranet.

"Steve?"

"Mmmm?"

"What does the bride's dad do when he's walked her up to the altar?" Perhaps most people wouldn't find this issue to be 'troubling to no end', but Anna Cologne Fisher wasn't most people. In fact, she was one of four of her kind in the entire galaxy. Only, as far as she knew, she was one of two.

"Well… he… delivers her to the groom, then sits down on the first row of chairs, and partakes in the ceremony on the same footing as the rest of the crowd… why?"

"Oh… nothing. Just, it would suck if you didn't know what to do." She replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I swear Anna… I don't know if I dare let Gilbert meet you. He might realize he just married himself into a family with YOU in it."

"What, you're saying I'd bore him?" She asked with a small pouting of her lips. Hackett almost had a fit at that one.

"B-bore him? No, I'm afraid he'll be scared away or begin evaluating the psyche of everyone in the family. That would be really awkward."

"Ah… you mean the whole 'She's the crazy admiral who cuts the balls of pirates and keep them in jars like pickles!' thing?"

"Yeah… yeah that would be one of them, I think."

"Aw what? So because I… entertain pirates, a human should be afraid of me? A human who's going to join the family?"

"In short? Yes. Anna you must realize that you are both _feared _and loved by the public, and I doubt Gilbert will be different."

"Nah, you worry too much old guy. I'm just going to have to teach him to embrace my nature, and get to know him a little better." She replied with a smirk he could only see as a faint reflection in the cockpit's glass.

"Anna… the last time you told a guy to 'get to know you better', you cut the balls of an infamous pirate-leader on galaxy-wide TV." He reminded her with a tired sigh.

"Yeah… damn he squealed like a girl when I brought the knife down… hadn't had that much fun since I caught his ass on the asteroid." She declared with a smile. That sentence alone would have caused the authorities to demand her suspended, but she knew her uncle wasn't going to talk about it. After all, he didn't have any reason to like Batarians either.

A couple of minutes later, Anna touched down the gunship inside the hangar, letting her uncle crawl out, slightly worse for wear.

"I… don't like it when you steer." He stammered, nervously edging himself down the steps of the ladder. Anna right behind him;

"Well, until you learn how to, you'll just have to settle for me." She replied with a smirk as her uncle shook his head.

"I'm… going to check in with Udina, find out how things are progressing on the Citadel." He murmured. In truth, he just needed to get to a bathroom in a real hurry. Eating a solid meal before taking a flight with Admiral Fisher wasn't a good idea.

As she watched him leave, Anna became aware of how she was actually the only person in the hangar. Granted, it wasn't all that big, but all the same, it was weird that there were no techs, no crew and no no 'one.

"Well, I suppose I expected him to be shaken. Still, hope I didn't rattle him for the ceremony. I'd hate for Megan to give me a what-for if her grandpa can't walk a straight line." She muttered to herself, completely unaware of the prying eyes focused on her from behind a cloak.

Anna went to the front of the big machine, admiring the engineering skill behind it. It was a bit clumsy in design, but was otherwise decades ahead of anything the Alliance currently packed. If anything, it would allow her to properly stock up the colonies of the Alliance, preparing them for slaver-raids and the like.

Still, it would be when she had planted a nuke or some other form of WMD up the ass of Sovereign, that the games would truly begin, starting with the most militarily important worlds the Batarian Hegemony possessed. When the Reaper was down, the gloves would come off, and if the council protested, she would show them something none of them, perhaps bar Tevos, possessed: A long middle finger.

"Still, this thing needs a paintjob. I think I'm going to make her my personal shuttle. The 'War-maiden' perhaps?" She muttered to herself, patting the hull of the gunship's front as she walked along it.

"How about the Ramen-dispenser?" A female vice suddenly cut in. Perplexed by the sudden and unannounced visitor, the admiral turned to face the door, but found it locked, and with no one in front of or near it. Looking around, she wasn't rewarded this time either.

"Ehm… hello?" She called out. As childish as the name had been, maybe the voice belonged to someone who liked to play games, or who was mentally off. Either way, it could be interesting.

"Hello!" The same voice called back. It sounded a bit like the woman in question was suppressing a giggle. For some reason, Anna got a hunch;

"Are you an assassin?" Granted, it might not have been a very bright hunch, as an assassin would rarely reveal him/herself to the victim.

"Mmm… not really. I prefer to consider myself an artist, although that may be _my_ sole opinion."

"An artist? In… what? Paintings, sculptures… weapons of mass destruction?" She tried guessing. The only response was a girly giggle.

"Not really my thing, although I do enjoy paintings." The voice said again, coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

"Where are you? Who are you?" As interesting as this was, it was beginning to piss Anna off.

"Hmm, let's turn it around, then we'll see."

"I don't follow…" She stated, looking inside the cockpit for the gunship. Empty, just as everywhere else.

"You wouldn't happen to be Anna Fisher? Admiral and part-time lunatic?"

"Hey, it's called Autism, runs in the family, and it's not 'part-time'."

"I'll take that as a yes." So far, the only thing Anna had been able to ascertain, was that her opponent was a woman, somewhere between twenty and thirty-five, mentally alternative, and slight of build. The voice gave that one up. Also, there was a strange accent to the woman, not American, but not Russian or European either. Not African, nor was it Australian or South American. The woman had to be from the Orient… or a colony. But even colonials kept some sort of accent from their families' origins. This woman, or her family, was from the Orient, possibly China or Japan. Plus the 'Ramen'-thing said Japanese pretty clearly.

"Alright, you've got me. I'm Admiral Anna Fisher. So what now, you gonna kidnap me? Deliver me to Kar'shan?" Anna said, holding her hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"Oh my no, I'm not some sort of brute. Actually, I'm your new best friend." The voice said, and from the corner of her eye, Anna could see a cloaking device being turned off, revealing the slim shape of a woman, petite and slim, dressed in black with a hood covering most of her face bar her nose, lips and a small goatee-looking tattoo under her lips. With the mental capacity of an alternative figurine, Anna started adding two and two while the woman walked closer and closer with relaxed steps.

_Asian, most likely Japanese. Likes Ramen, of course, stereotype. Slim, humoristic and uses a cloaking device. Talent for getting into top-secured areas without being spotted, hint towards criminal career from the facial obstruction. She knows me, and my personality, but then again, so does most of the galaxy. Used 'Fisher' only, not 'Cologne'… maybe she knows Thomas or my parents. The suit allows for widespread acrobatics, looks like it's made from rubbery material. Considers herself an artist. Artists among thieves? Maybe a calling card? Nope, that isn't artistic. More sentimental. The fact that she's here and addresses me suggests high-level. She's good at what she does, yet I've never seen her face on posters or the extranet before, or the hooded version. Master thieves with no known face, not afraid of showing herself to people though, uses cloaking devices… only five people matches, and among those, only two are female, and only one is human._

"Aha" Anna said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yup. My name-"The woman started, but Anna cut her off;

"Kasumi Goto." Anna stated with a thin smile. The expression of sheer shock and horror on what of the woman's face the admiral could see, was priceless. For some time, she simply stood there, mouth moving but without any words exiting it. Finally, after a minute or so of silence, she spoke;

"H-h….how… Baka, you are the same as Thomas! No fun at all!"

…

October 22th

SSV Normandy

Deck three - gym, crew quarters and brig

12:49 (Ship time)

Dammit! The mat hurts just as much as the prior four times I've seen it up close today. I suppose it can't be helped, with my opponent and all, plus the fact that I've been neglecting my training.

"Come on dude, get up!"

"No, stay down Fisher! I've money riding on you losing this" Wrex shouts, overpowering Nic.

"Shut it Wrex, I want him to win!" Tequila shouts back. Apparently she betted on me. Figures, I'm getting popular.

"Come on, she's a woman! Are you gonna lose to a girl Thomas?" Wrex… if he had any idea how tough she is, he would shut up. As I lift my head, I'm greeted by a pair of bare feet. They are quite pretty, actually, although there is a lot of hard skin on them. Especially on the sides. Still, pretty nail paint, or whatever it's called. I've never actually learned. I mean, there never was a need for it.

Following the pair of legs upwards, I notice a pair of black shorts, marked with some type of text I can't read, and with a slightly distinctive, yet clear feminine triangle in the center of the shorts. Resisting the urge to keep looking at that particular spot, my eyes climb upwards, coming upon a thin stripe of smooth peach-colored skin, centered around a small, cute bellybutton. Above that, a sports-shirt covers the chest, but leaves the form clearly outlined from my position on the mat. They aren't big, but so far I'm not disappointed in the least. And finally, I look upon the face of my assailant.

"Hey Rookie, you getting up or do I win again?"

She really is beautiful, even when kicking my ass. A pair of large hazel-brown eyes are positioned above soft pink lips curled in a smile of victory, while the black hair is tied up in a knot behind her head.

"Hah… I'm just… warming up Ash… " I reply through a mouth sore from the foot that just landed on it. I'm avoiding kicking or hitting at the face. Ash might be able to knock me down without me losing a tooth or breaking my nose, but I really doubt I could do the same. I don't really have the… self-control. Which I suppose, is just a nicer way of saying that I am sloppy where she is precise.

"Glad to hear it, because it's 7-2, and I personally doubt-" She doesn't get to finish before I grab her ankle and pull her to the mat as well. My shoulder may not be able to lift the five-hundred my arm is designed to, but it wasn't needed to yank her feet out. I just hope I didn't break anything. Watching her land with a heavy bump, I coil my legs up and jump to my feet. I've learned something from her at least, other than I need to be careful when starring at her chest. The last time she sent me to the floor with a sly smile on her face.

I swear, I can't figure her out sometimes. One moment she's teasing me, running her fingertips down my abdomen, the next she kicks my ass for returning the favor. _Women…or just 'woman'_ I'm not really in a position to generalize.

"That's the way to do it!" Someone yells from the crowd. Or, not crowd but more of a group of people where most of them are betting on me getting my ass kicked. _How the hell did I let them talk me into this?_

"_I do believe it was Ashley displaying some physical attributes while stretching that convinced you to give it a shot" _Roku says. For some reason, and I have no idea why, the guy has been gradually shifting from his 'avatar' voice and to a more 'British' voice. I'm not sure if it is annoying or cool, but I don't really have a voice in it anyway, so why bother.

"Well… that was unexpected." She mumbles, jumping to her feet in the same way as me.

"Yeah well, I've learned from the best… or, second best maybe?" I reply with a smile. As odd as it sounds, I actually think this is our equivalent of a date. Beating each other senseless, this time with a crowd.

"How's that jaw treating ya?"

"Ouh Ash, low kick. Not cool." I mutter as we circle each other. While I am starting to show a multitude of blue and purple marks, she only sports around two or three, if you'll call that last kick to her thigh a 'bruise'. I swear, I aimed at her old gunshot-wound, as lowly as it might sound, and the only reaction was a 'getting desperate?' look from her, as well as a response in the form of the kick and yank that landed me on the mat, scoring her a point number seven.

When she brings the fight to me in the form of grabbing my left elbow, I try to use the machine to my advantage, but the cheeky banshee actually uses my strength against me, making me practically _lift_ myself off the ground and through the air.

I impact a second later, with her adding her own weight on top of mine to increase the fall.

"I swear, I think you're getting better at this." She pants, jumping back up while I stumble to a somewhat effective stance, feeling my knees buckle.

It may be true. I have only been kicked down on a ratio of seven… no, eight to three now. Usually it's eight to one. Still, my jaw hurts like hell, and my back and arm is killing me.

"Perhaps… still, I think I- yah!" I shout, catching her off guard as I snap my legs around her waist, pulling her to the ground while I use the left arm to propel myself upwards. The momentum carries us through the air in an arch, ending with her on the mat and me on top of her. A sudden kick in my back causes me to collapse nearly on top of her, but I manage to stop myself a few inches above her face.

Looking into her eyes, I can see she planned this part all along. That cheeky smile of hers is a give-away. Up close like this, I can see all kinds of details. Her skin is glinting with sweat, causing her slight tan to shine like amber. Her warm eyes are copying her mouth, sending me a cheeky and sultry look. I really wish we were alone.

The way she pants, gasping for air, tells me she's worn down as well, yet there's also a more… primal side to it. The way she smells, her scent, it's arousing. As we keep our faces apart by mere inches, we are both panting hard. I'm totally beat as well. Tiny droplets of sweat fall from my chin, landing on her neck and shirt. Each impact sends an almost invisible shiver through her body, and causes my hairs to stand in return.

"You give up?" She asks, sending me a longing gaze. I can feel my pants starting to tighten, and I'd really appreciate it if Wrex or Nic didn't see it. Not to mention Tequila, Garrus or Fixer. Would be really awkward to stand from a fall like this, with a horizontal third leg.

"Yeah… yeah I give up." I mutter, allowing myself to fall down on the mat beside her.

"Dammit Thomas, don't just give up like that!" Nicolai shouts. Yeah, well he's free to try and take Ash down himself. I'm done.

"Hey, feel fucking free to pitch-" I start, but the comms. break me of;

"This is Commander John'Shepard vas Normandy nar Rayya speaking. We will be arriving on Horizon in two hours. We will then proceed with the ceremony, and with giving Sev the final honor a soldier can have bestowed upon him. I suggest that if anyone plan on saying something, or giving gifts of departing, you are to ready it for when we arrive. An honor-guard consisting of Boss Delta-thirty eight, Fixer Delta-four oh, Scorch Delta-six two, Nihlus Kryik, Thomas Fisher and Garrus Vakarian will carry the coffin to its final resting place in New Houston Memorial Cemetery. I would like to see Delta-squad assembled in the briefing room as soon as possible… that will be all."

John ends with a low voice. And just like that, the mood of every single person in the room skydived. Feeling the knot tighten in my chest, I look to where Fixer is sitting. He's out of armor for once, donning a black undersuit covered by the regular uniform of the Normandy. Upon the end of John's brief statement, the guy looks like someone just punched him. He starts looking a bit sick, and clutches his chest with one hand while tightening his other hand into a fist. Even from here I can see the veins protrude in his hand. No one says anything, not even Wrex. The Krogan looks like he doesn't feel on top either, slowly stomping where he stands. If I was ever to see Wrex sad, this is probably it.

It's strange really, how we could actually forget the fact that we have a dead soldier… a dead comrade, lying in a metal coffin in the cargo deck. Just one deck below us, the cold mutilated corpse of Sev Oh-Seven lies. A man who gave his life to save his brother and a kid. _Dammit, the kid… Bashir. With all that's been going on I've… no, that isn't any excuse! I should have fucking known it would happen. _You don't just save a kid from that kind of place, and then not fucking check him. Sev died to save him, and I wasted it all.

A couple of days back, the day before the day we reached Illium, the boy fell… ill. I don't know how or why, but he was infected as well… implanted. Scorch hadn't been in a position to speak, and Sev was dead. The Salarian was killed as well, and the kid was traumatized. And I didn't think, even for a second, that he could be infected as well. Because of course he would be like Newt.

Aliens don't infect the kids you learn the names on.

Fucking logic. Served me really well now, didn't it? He had some fits and seizures, and before we could even get him across the mess hall from Jane's bedroom, he broke, right in front of the doors to the med-bay. The thing just… erupted out of him like a fucking troll from a box. He died screaming for his mother, screaming for the pain to stop, for his home, for his daddy. For Sev even, if what I could understand was right.

He just… A child died right in front of me, and it is my fault. If I had just thought about having him scanned as well, we could have removed it. Hell we wouldn't even have needed Miranda after the first try on Kaidan. Chakwas and Ash could have done it themselves.

But I let him die.

We spaced the creature, and after Chakwas attempted in vain to save him, we ended up placing Bashir in an adult-sized coffin. It's cruel irony that even the ship doesn't seem to be able to handle the death of a child. I don't know what we're going to do with the corpse. Not bury him at the memorial of course, that would make no sense at all. I just don't like the prospect of turning over the coffin to whatever family the kid had, and then explain or not how I'm to blame for his death.

"_You're not. You didn't infect or impregnate him with a xeno."_

"_Well fuck that! I am one of the few who knows everything about these assholes. I should have known that there was a risk."_

"_You had a lot on your mind. Kaidan's life for one, and the handling of Jacob."_

"_Doesn't matter… I could have prevented it."_ Why can't he see the truth? It's because of me the kid is dead. For fucks sake, he was only a child!

"_Blame yourself as much as you like, but fact is it isn't your fault."_

"_Oh yeah? Like the dead on Eden Prime isn't my fault either? This is just another time I've failed people depending on me!"_

"_Maybe, but good things have happened because of you as well."_ Sure, an optimist in the shape of a spectral being. That's perfectly normal.

"_Name one thing I've done that has changed events for the better."_

"_I… Nihlus is alive."_

"_Not because of me."_

"_Well, John exists because of your presence here."_

"_Still not something I've actively done, unless you count being hit by a fucking train 'doing something'"_

"_You actually insist on blaming yourself for the slipups?" _Roku exclaims. If beings like him had a mouth, I'm pretty sure he would be scowling right now.

"_Sli-Slipups?! People have fucking _died_! Everyone on Eden Prime, the other soldier on Therum, almost lost Tali in the alley because I couldn't get it together to just take her to John. Nihlus and I both nearly bought it on Feros, and now we've lost Sev and a child to the bugs, Noveria was overrun with xenos, Kaidan almost died due to a facehugger, and Scorch has lost a fucking LEG, not to mention a brother! You fucking DARE call that slipups?!" _I'm seething with anger and frustration about now. Roku just can't fucking see the picture here. People have died or lost limbs and loved ones because I didn't get my act together. If this continues we're going to lose more. No way around that. The next person I let down could be Ash or Nic, hell even Anna could die because I fuck up somehow.

"Thomas… are you okay?" A voice and a hand on my shoulder snaps me from my minor fit. Looking up, Ash is looking at me with a worried pair of eyes. I take her hand away from my shoulder, a bit too abruptly, which I instantly regret;

"Yeah… yeah I'm fine. Sorry, I don't want you to go and worry if something's wrong with me. I'm still fit for duty." For some reason, we're the only remaining people in the room. The lights on the lift signals that it has just stopped on some deck above us. A sigh from Ash draws my eyes back;

"You know, I thought we had gotten to the point where you knew you could tell me anything, just as I can tell you anything. Was I wrong?" There's a bit of sadness in her voice, like I've disappointed her. I hate it when she does that. I can't stand watching her down, especially when it's because of me. When she starts turning around to walk for the lift, I grab her shoulder;

"No… you were right, of course." I say, trying to produce a smile. I'm not sure how effective it is though.

"Then tell me. Part of being in a relationship is telling each other what bothers them. I worry about what's going to happen if we get to Virmire like Jane did. So tell me, what bothers you?" She says, moving closer to me. I can feel the warmth radiating from her body, the scent of her, the smallest change in her being… it is a bit creepy actually. Considering she's standing three feet away, so I shouldn't be able to pick up anything. Especially not with my lousy sense of smell…

"_That would be me… pardon." _

"_Wait what?" _That was unexpected, and annoying. He's interrupting again.

"_Well some of my senses are bound to be conveyed to your neural network."_

"I… the whole time I've been here, I've been thinking I could change things for the better, you know? Like saving people Hudson saw die. But so far, I've failed so many people. On Eden Prime, I didn't warn you about Sovereign, even though I knew it would attack. I almost led Tali to her death in an alley when I should have led her to John instead. Because of me, Bashir died from the chestburster. Because I didn't think of having him checked. Sev is dead as well, and Scorch has lost his leg. And if we get to Virmire, who's to say I won't-" I say, but Ash cuts me off.

"- lose me, Nicolai or Kaidan?" She says, putting a hand on my cheek. The warmth and love in the gesture makes a good bit of the pit in my chest dissolve, knowing she's here for me. Even when I fuck up.

"…Yes… "I admit, feeling her eyes on me. It's not a hard stare, but a soft one, full of compassion; "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. You know when I was most scared on Feros?"

"When you hallucinated?"

"Well… maybe that was the most physically scaring part, but the thing that scared me the most, was fearing for your life while you were locked inside the building, with all those things outside. If they had gotten inside, I wouldn't have been able to do anything but listen while they… you would have been… I would have failed again, one time too many. And I don't know what I would have done if that had happened." I say, lowering my head to look into her eyes. Despite her being six years older than me, I'm actually slightly taller than her.

Ashley puts the other hand on my cheek, holding my face in a firm but gentle grip. I can't but look into her eyes, forgetting my problems in those brown orbs of hers. I don't understand it, but she has a way of making me feel like I'm not that big of a fuck-up after all.

"Thomas… You may have a somewhat 'split' personality, but you are still just one man. You can't go blame yourself for every single injury and accident that happens around you." Her voice is gentle, warm and etched with compassion

"Still, I should have known that Bashir could be implanted with one of those fuckers, and what about Tali? I almost caused her death on the Citadel. That would have been on me, no denying that."

"You were confused and scared, hell you radiated 'I'm mentally messed up' when we were there. But I didn't try to help you out, or to find out what was wrong. So if anything, that scene is one me, okay?" Why… why does she have to be this way? It was my fault, not hers. Why is she this sweet? This compassionate?

"Then what about what happened on Eden Prime? How can that not be my fault?"

"Thomas…" She sighs; "We've been over that one before. Even if you had told me everything at the time, it's not likely I would have believed you, and even if I had, we wouldn't have had enough time to muster a proper defense, and forget about forcing people to abandon their homes at any less than a gunpoint."

"You're making it sound like I couldn't have done anything, even if I had tried." I reply tiredly. Not physically, but more mentally tired; "I suppose what I bragged about to that operative what true…"

"What was?" She asks with a slightly cocked head. Her hands have slid from my face to my shoulders now, and we're nearly touching foreheads. At this distance, I can hear and smell her every breath, feel her presence so close to my own.

"Ash, I've only just turned twenty-two… but I've seen more messed up shit in the two-and-a-half month I've been here than most career-soldiers from my time ever get to see. I'm not sure how long I can keep it up before I need a psychiatrist at this rate." I say, gently touching my forehead to hers. I just need something to hold on to, something that can keep me floating. She smiles, putting a hand in my still growing hair. It feels a bit funny, how she glides it across my head's prickly short fur.

"So you're still young, what about it? I was only your age when I had my first actual combat-experience, and I came out worse than you. You've just had your training in the field, instead of in a secure environment. Besides, I'll find a way to keep you some miles from any shrink if need be. I'm here for you." She says with a warm smile, leaning in closer.

Without actively recognizing it, I'm closing in as well, and our lips meet in a gentle embrace, displaying our feelings for each other in a more physical way. Her soft pink lips taste of her, of a creature devoid of jealousy and hate, but filled with beauty, love and compassion. And for reasons only the gods know, she's mine.

Feeling her hands suddenly moving under my shirt, I give her a confused look. She just sends me the same sultry eyes she's been giving me from time to time. Especially when we are working out. Each little movement from her fingertips sends a wave of electricity through me, causing the hair on my neck and arms to stand. She presses the kiss in further, and I, while being a little baffled, happily return the gesture, sliding my tongue into her mouth where it ends up in a dance with hers.

The movements become faster and more desperate as she starts wringing my shirt of me. Slowly, I send my own hands under her shirt as well, feeling the bare skin of her back for the first time. The thin strip holding her bra is a curious feeling when not obstructed by her shirt or uniform, and I play with it with one hand while letting the other gently scrape her skin with the nails.

I'm rewarded with a low moaning, as well as erratic movements in her body, probably because of the electric feeling. I can feel the prickly Goosebumps covering her skin, and the blood rushing to and from my head makes the entire thing feel like it's happening in both fast-track and slow-motion at the same time.

Slowly, one of her hands moves from my back to her own, taking the one playing with her bra-strip. I barely know what I'm doing, so I happily allow her to take the lead. She slowly guides my hand to her front, placing it on one of her breasts.

The feeling, there's no way to actually describe it. The softness of her flesh, even under the black cloth, combined with the hard feeling at the center of the dome, the way it responds to my touch, the way she responds to it, it's all almost too much to bear. It gets only more unreal when she takes my hand again, and pushes it under the bra, in direct contact with her breast.

Out of pure instinct, and perhaps fright, I close my hand on it, electing a low groan from her as it probably hurts her. Slowly, I loosen the grip, just having my hand on her. It feels nice, fantastic actually. Warm, yet cold at the same time, as if the blood is leaving my fingers. Her nipple is rock-hard, urging me to touch it, which I do, almost out of instinct. Our tongues haven't parted yet, and I'm only breathing through the nose, as the dance continues going from her mouth to mine, and back again.

Another groan comes from her as her hands move more wildly on my back, reaching up my neck and scraping down it, leaving a burning sensation on my skin, as well as a prickly feeling. Each time I move a muscle in my hand, she grabs for my hair, moaning softly, purring almost while she grabs for my hair, the side that wasn't torched, ruffling the short yet graspable black hairs.

Suddenly, Ash shoves me in the chest, sending me to the ground with a bump. As I'm about to complain, her mouth joins mine again, effectively shutting off all speaking as our tongues meet up again, reengaging in their dance of lust. My body feels like it is on fire, and only getting the shirt off will help cool it. Almost as if she senses my thoughts, Ash starts pulling my arms upwards, removing my hand from her breasts for a short moment until the shirt is off. I return it to cub her breast, this time letting my left hand join in as well, careful not to be too harsh with the synthetic hand. Ash sits up on my lap, straddling me while assuming her position on top. Before I can say anything, she slowly starts to wiggle out of her shirt as well, laying he body bare, if not for the bra. Pushing my hands down, she keeps them on the floor, giving me a sly look, as if saying 'nah ah ah' with her eyes.

I can't help but obey her, lying still while feeling my shorts grow tighter by the second. Meanwhile, she continues to slowly rise up from holding my hands down, moving a hand to the small of her back. She unties the bra, and it falls to the floor without making a sound. I don't care about it though. Ash's lightly tanned fit body is before me, moving slowly with a sensual glint in its owner's eyes.

"Like what you see?" She almost purrs, keeping me locked to the floor with her eyes. As I process the question, I open my mouth to answer her, to tell her that it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, but my words roll of my tongue, hoarse and dry. I can hardly whisper at this state, as all water, hell all blood seems to have left my mouth and throat.

"Mmm? Didn't hear you Thomas?" She asks again, purring even harder as her hips start moving on top of my groin, rocking around in a way that causes… it, to almost snap in half more than once. I can see it in her eyes that she feels it, looking between me and it with a feisty, almost horny look in her eyes. _Is this it? Is this really happening? I swear if anyone wakes me now, he or she will wish they had been left at Hanshan wrapped in bacon!_

"I… I… fuck yes, I love what I'm- I love you Ash!" The last part comes out as a hoarse shout, not reaching very far, but far enough for her to hear, and that's what matters. This supersedes anything and everything in emotion that I've ever experienced. The once so lustful kisses we've shared multiple times seem to pale and become mere gestures of partnership compared to this. My body is on fire, my brain feels like I'm drunk, only not with alcohol but with love and desire. My hands are trying to move on their own, reaching for her, wanting to pull her in, to hold her close. My heart is beating faster than it's ever done before, but not from fear. Maybe some is from fear, from fearing to lose her. But mainly, no mostly and almost all of it is love. Pure love mixed with desire and lust.

I need her.

I need her now!

Again, it is like Ash is reading my mind. She stands up, pulling me with her and into the equipment-room in the back of the small gym. Discarding our picked up clothing on the floor, she locks the door to the room. Before I can even ask what she's doing, or what I'm supposed to do now, she shoves me onto the sole thick-mat, normally held in store for onboard competitions and the like. For now, I guess we have another use for it. With a grin and a nervous feeling in my gut, I watch as she steps out of her shorts as well, leaving her only with her black panties on.

Funny how black seems to be popular with women's underwear these days.

Slowly, she crawls up on the mat, keeping a few inches of distance between us as she moves towards my face. Oh Gods, don't let me fuck up now, not now! I suppose she can see my nervousness, as she starts purring again, leaning down to hover an inch above my face;

"Don't worry Thomas. It's not because you can be _that_ bad." She purrs again, letting her lips dance down my chest as she nears my shorts. Without me saying anything, she slowly pulls my shorts off, revealing a pair of black underpants with a considerable bulge beneath them. Looking at the bulge, Ash gains a devilish smile, looking at my face again. The way she stares at me, almost like a hungry predator, is scary. Yet, it also fills me with a warm, no burning feeling. I have to get her out of that piece of clothing, and it has to be at once, not in two more seconds.

Moving on my own for once, I reach for her back, letting my hands slide down it till I reach the cloth. Sensing or reading my thoughts, Ash rises up a bit, placing her thighs on each their side of my chest, letting me remove the panties easier. My fingers seem to freeze as the top of the clothing nears the start of her opening. Sensing my hesitation perhaps, Ash presses down on my hands, revealing the last bit of skin and flesh I had to see on her. As she half stands over me, her naked body on show, she slowly lowers herself down on top of me again, rubbing her opening against my shaft with slow movements. My entire body feels like it has caught fire. With rushed movements, my hands fly from her hips to my own, struggling to get out of the pair of elastically suspended underpants. It results in my groin impacting on her parting as my hips jump up and down, trying to free the last part of me from capture. Before I can get them off however, Ash grabs my real hand, and does what I've never thought any woman would ever do with it. She gently, as if she's scared of causing harm, guides it into her, separating my hand into pairs of fingers. I lose all breath as the warm slippery feeling coats my fingers, and she lets go of them, allowing me to explore her body on my own.

To be honest, it's almost a bit frightening, yet a fantastic feeling, as if I'm reaching for the gates of paradise. Suddenly, instead of the warm and moist walls of flesh, my fingers come upon a small bead-like object inside her. Upon touching it, I seem to send Ash into a small spasm of pleasure as she has to bite her lips not to scream. She still winces though, and I am about to pull my fingers out again when I catch her eyes. The happiness in them is unmistakably powerful, filled with love and lust. The sweat is pouring down her lithe body now, glinting from the lamp in the ceiling. She looks like a heathen Goddess this way, naked and with ripe breasts standing out in the illumination in the room. With a feeling of need, of hunger for her, I plunge the finger inside her again, while using the other hand to completely remove my underpants and slide them down my legs. The center of my arousal immediately stands straight in the air, catching Ash's eyes. With a low groan, she looks from it, and to my face;

"You've been… holding out on me for too long." I can only nod. Slowly, I remove my fingers from her inner sanctum. With a feeling like I'm going to die if I don't join with her instantly, I am surprised to find her being the one who grabs it, slowly rubbing it on the outside of her opening. It sends an electrical storm from my groin to my eyes, causing water to start emerging from them, mixing with the sweat already covering my body.

"Ash… please… please I can't stand this anymore…" I groan, not able to raise my voice above a whisper. With a devious smile, she keeps rubbing it along for a few more moments, her soft and strong hands feel incredible on me. At last, she slowly lets go of it, letting me slide inside her.

My mind explodes.

The sensations, the feelings, they are just too great, too immense. My head is being thrown around inside out, not knowing what is real and what is not. Only the primal lust and desire for this woman is keeping me conscious at all. She starts rocking on top of me, sliding me in and out of her with slow and calm movements. Feebly, feeling the strength disappear from my body, I reach for her, cupping a breast with each hand. Her own hands join on top of mine shortly after.

We keep this rhythm up for what seems like forever. But in a good way. Her body is rocking on top of mine, not fast enough to cause me to reach climax, but not slow enough to stop us. It's like a perfect movement, an example of harmony beyond description. Slowly though, our movements build speed, and the rocking increases in pace until the throbbing is unbearable. Forcing my eyes away from her body, I look at Ash's face.

Her eyes are closed, and a small droplet of red is trailing from her lips. She constantly groans, arching her body backwards with each trust and rocking of hips.

"Hggggnnnn… hold… don't… not yet…" I manage to catch from her ragged and heavy breathing as she bends over front, her face a few inches above mine. Droplets of sweat are constantly hitting my eyes, but I don't care. All my mind is currently concentrated on trying to follow her orders, and keep myself from reaching climax. Opening my eyes, I find it to be easier said than done, with her naked body hanging above me.

Her hips move faster and faster, bringing me to uncontrollable heights of sensation and pleasure. My head is spinning, and my hands are moving on their own. In an instant, Ash throws her head and body backwards, letting out a high-pitched whine. At the same time, I can feel large amounts of hot and damp liquid flowing from her core, and I finally give in, releasing myself inside her. For an eternity, my body is cramped and unable to move as we peak together, reaching unspeakable heights of happiness and unity. Then, after she slowly manages to look down on me again, Ash no longer has the look of a hungry predator, but the look of deep love in her eyes. A few tears are rolling from her eyes as she gingerly guides herself down to me. Instead of the passionate kiss we have shared uncountable times, she lays her head on my chest, closing her eyes while I'm still inside her. For now, we are one body, one mind and soul.

She slowly turns her face upwards to gaze at me, and the dreamy look in her eyes remains;

"Happy Birthday love…" She mumbles with a smile before closing her eyes again. My mind is boggled for a moment, before remembering that it actually _is_ today. Well, yesterday it was twenty-one, now I'm twenty-two… I just had the birthday party of a lifetime…

And I have never felt happier in my entire life.

…

October 22th

Earth, Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia

13:28 (local time)

"Smile!"

The small group, consisting of Steven Hackett, Megan Hackett, now turned Megan Lee Vera Hacket, her radiating groom Gilbert Lee Vera, whose face was lit in one giant smile while he nuzzled his wife with a hand, Gilbert's parents, and Anna Fisher, was standing in front of the representative from the press, a self-invited woman named Jilani. So far though, she had yet to cause any trouble, or to act or speak out of terms, so her presence was tolerated.

When she left, the group turned to inwardly chat, with the bride and groom starting to make off towards the enormous white cake commissioned and paid for by the most known and feared admiral in Alliance space. It was in the shape of Acturus, with a levitating married couple hovering a few inches above it. They were proportionally much bigger than the station, but it would have been difficult to have a cake the size of Acturus in the room anyway. Seeing how her new nephew-in-law was starting to escape her grasp, Anna snapped a hand out and pulled him back in. Before he could protest however, or before any of the Hacketts, could say anything, Anna had him and the bride wrapped in a powerful bear-hug;

"Welcome to la familia Gilbert. I think the two of us will be the best friends ever, don't you?" Inwardly, she was actually nervous. If there was one thing she couldn't do, it was meet new people with a straight face.

"I- I sure, yeah we will." He stammered, for a moment looking a bit frightened. It was the first time he had met Anna, though the news had been plentiful about her, and her exploits. Also, she had told him, right before the ceremony, that she had an Amada admiral in level 213 in Galaxy of Fantasy. And that had been only half an hour before he was standing at the altar.

If anything, she had evaporated his nervousness with her way of being, causing him to lose focus until Megan was standing beside him, and Hackett, his now grandfather-in law had given Megan up to him, making him the happiest man alive.

"You know Anna-"He said, gaining a bit more courage in her face; "I've gotta say, you really aren't your average Admiral." He said, eliciting a smile and a huff from the woman;

"Yeah well, most admirals are too scared of bad PR to do anything but parade or take part in large organized drills. Me? I like to get my hands dirty." She replied with a warm smile.

"I know. I hope you don't mind that I've been doing some… reading on you?" He said with a hint of nervousness in his voice. He had always been awestruck of how she had dared to castrate slavers on public TV, even when it was a public secret that some of those pirates and slavers worked for the Hegemony. Surprisingly, she had denied any offers of bodyguards or soldiers at her door.

"Not at all, I take it as a compliment actually. I do hope what you read was good?"

"The part with castration of slavers… you do know you probably violated a few laws and conventions in one go there, right?" He felt he was treading on thin ice, so he held his own opinion in store, to see how she reacted.

"Yeah… yeah I might have… if they were humans, that is. Now, I understand where you are coming from, but sometime, try asking Megan, if you haven't already, what happened to her parents on Mindoir. That's one of the reasons I don't show them any human mercy… but enough of sad topics, let's go eat some cake." Anna said, having responded to him with a warm smile while she talked about Mindoir and torture.

Sure, she was a bit scary at first, but Gilbert decided that it was just part of his new life. With Megan in hand, he walked towards the reception's large table.

It was good to be him

* * *

**A/N: Well damn, that scene between Ash and Thomas turned out way better than I thought it would. For that, I cannot take all the credit. Yes, I wrote it, but I have been... in training, so to speak, with the mastro of 'smut' as she calls it. May we have Lady Amiee Krios on the stage? Thank you, thank you. This girl has been hauling my butt through a most... special course, and without her, I would have never been able to write that scene. **

**So for that: Thanks Amiee. My Nathran, you are just downright incredible.**


	33. Death closes all

**A/N:**

**Hello there, I'm back again. I'm really glad... no, I don't think that's the right word... amazed and overjoyed seems more like it actually. I have been getting 11 reviews for the last chapter so far. ELEVEN! That is my record for any chapter so far, and it shows you liked what I gave you. Food for thought, you know? It seems more fluff is a good thing, where I actually feared it would be the direct opposite. **

**Well, I'll be giving you more of that then, (wink, wink, nugde, nudge)**

**Alright... this is it. We have seen happieness, we have seen fear and we have seen love in this story. We have also seen death, and the death of friends in combat. I think it to be most fair, that we send Sev off properly.**

* * *

Death closes all...

October 22th

Horizon, New Houston memorial cemetery

16:59

"ATTENTION! PRESENT ARMS!"

"FIRE!"

"FIRE!"

"FIRE!"

The weather is always good for funerals, as if it is a bad joke, or the sky is trying to cheer us up. How come the weather is always bad on movies, but good in real life when you bury friends and loved ones?

The five-man squad of colonial marines shoulders their arms, having performed the service of a military firing salute. Their faces are set in stone, as if they couldn't care less about what happens here, about the man lying in a coffin right in front of them. Part of me hates them for it, for not feeling the same anger and grief the rest of us do.

At the same time, part of me is thankful that they don't. I can hardly stand looking at Scorch, shouldering himself to Fixer with red eyes, standing on his one leg, while the stump of the other is in bandages. He's using a crane for now, having it under his arm. They have both, as well as Tequila and Boss, been outfitted with special uniforms, made for special occasions.

I suppose, this is one such.

With a heavy sigh, feeling my throat glued up and my chest in pain, I look from the coffin to the man ascending the platform next to it. John has just placed the traditional flag over the coffin, except for the patterns on the flag. I now know what he picked up on Illium, in that small soft package.

It is a flag, one half bearing the symbol of the Systems Alliance's curves and star, while the other half is decorated with the circular insignia of the Grand Army of the Republic. He had to have Tequila detail and describe it. I'm just glad he didn't ask me, I don't know if I would have been able to keep it together.

"Good day. Friends, loved ones and comrades in arms, to both me and Sev Delta-Oh Seven." He says, holding a short break. The pain in my chest is getting worse, just glad I stuffed my pockets with tissue-paper in case I break down.

"We are gathered here today, to bid a friend and trusted comrade goodbye, and to see him off on his journey to the Spirits of Coruscant, where his body will become one with the force." John has been asking Boss about their beliefs in advance. Fixer told me when they exited the meeting on the Normandy half an hour ago. To some, I bet this sounds like a bad joke, sending a man on with words about the force and Coruscant.

"But also, we are here to remember Sev for what he was in his life, both in the service of the Republic, and as a team-mate and friend onboard the Normandy. I have not known Sev for very long, but in the time I knew him, he proved to be a soldier, beyond the meaning of brave, loyal and hard." I can hear sniffs coming from Scorch and Fixer, while Boss looks like he's a dead man standing. His normally tanned skin is pale, and his eyes are sunken and dead.

"Sev gave his life, to save that of others, the most noble sacrifice a man can make… we… we can be grateful, and humble, to have known a man of suck character as Sev, and… and pray that he will indeed become one with the force… Keelah'Selai Sev." John finishes off with a small bow, and a few people nod, but are otherwise silent as the next speaker approach the platform.

"Greetings, and… thank you John, for those words. I know Sev would have kicked my ass for saying this, but… it fit perfectly. Sev… was my subordinate, but not just that. Delta-Oh Seven was one of the best friends and soldiers I have ever known. He always had a way of making you know when he cared, and even if he didn't, you would still feel welcome around him." Boss says, looking at the crowd of fifty of so people attending to the service. The entire Normandy showed up, despite only the ground team being required to attend. I think Boss really appreciates that.

"We served together since day one of a war, which feels like it took place in another life. He proved himself from day one, saving my life more than once, and became a good and trusted friend ever since. We served on dangerous missions, missions others would have cowered at the mere thought of, but Sev… Sev took it in a stride, always keeping a, if not cheery mood, then a mood that would inspire courage in the hearts of his fellow soldiers. I will openly admit, there was more than once where I felt ready to retreat, to give up the mission, if not for the harsh words and jovial sense of humor this man possessed." I'm not sure if I'm just seeing things, but… yes, Boss _is_ crying. Streams of tears are making their way from his eyes to his chin, showing the grief in an otherwise stone-faced soldier. _Even a vat-grown war machine is human inside…_

"I have seen two sides of Sev, although I have no doubt there also was a third side, one he kept from all but himself and those closest to him. I have seen him as a calm and collected soldier, one ready to wait for hours, even days before his target passed by. He was a man living the virtue of patience at times of need. Another side of him, was a side shown to his enemies, who would soon no longer count themselves amongst the living, but rather either dead, or in a scrap pile. He could be a face of fury when he needed to, showing off the pure rage and power of the Republic at its worst. Nothing could stand against him, no weapon could harm him and no armor of shield could protect his foe. And then… then, there was the third side, the one he only enacted when he felt safe about it." Boss says, looking us again, but I suspect it's mainly Fixer and Scorch.

"Once, we were on duty on a planet getting regular visits from slavers. The entire planets was basically one big slaver op. and we were sent in to dissolve it, just us and two other special force groups. When we reached the pens and cages where the slaves were being held… I'll never forget the sight and smell of hundreds, no thousands of people of all races stuffed in cages like animals, waiting for some perverse warlord to purchase the mother or young daughter of a family to make her his personal slave. When we went loud, shooting the slavers and freeing the prisoners, I don't know how, but Sev found out a slaver was taking off with his personal stock. Sev jumped in a fighter and went after him, flying the aircraft directly into the engines of the swine's ship and forcing it down while hanging on to the hull for dear life. The net thing I saw, was Sev carrying out a small girl from the ship. The only survivor from the treatment they had received. Sev, his…" Boss says before sinking audibly, reminding me of my own throat feeling like I'm on the verge of throwing up. _I never was good at these ceremonies… _

"Sev… he took off his helmet to assure the girl that he was a good guy, and… there were tears in his eyes when he tried comforting the girl. She couldn't have been more than six or seven, and were crying her eyes out while asking for her mother. Not screaming, but simply asking, pleading with a face distorted with fear. I… didn't know what to do, but Sev… he hugged the girl tightly while trying to explain to her what had happened, why her mother wasn't coming back. He ended up just sitting there with her in his arms, both of them crying. That, was the only time I've ever seen him cry. It was the side of him that embodied compassion and empathy, something most people thought him devoid of. But on that day, he showed us the core of his person. Not the man… the man trained to take out an enemy…from… from four miles away, but a man who cared and dared showing it…" He says, taking a break where I can see him struggling to breathe, with tears rolling down his face.

"About a year later, we were on a mission on another planet, and ended up losing him. We thought he was dead until we met again on the Feros. We… he showed no surprise over being with us again, as if he always knew we would find each other again… He… he… sorry…. He simply went over to us with this carefree attitude you would expect from someone after a party, or at the office… he was the same as always, and we swore we would never part again, no matter what. Then, Noveria happened... we… we… Sev he gave his life to save that of strangers, one of them being a mere child whom we later lost. But… but I… I don't think Sev would look at us now, thinking his sacrifice was in vain. I'd like to believe that he is looking after us from the other side now, smiling his hard smile while emptying a six-pack and stabbing a droid intending on hurting a child in his care. I'd like to think, that he is happy, where and however he is. Ner Vode An! It means, 'We are brothers all'" He finishes, snapping to a salute.

For once in my life, I get the movement perfect, snapping to a salute along with every single other person present, whether or not he or she knew Sev at all. My eyes blur up, and my chest feels like I have to scream. _Fuck, here we go…_ tears start rolling down my cheeks as I fish out the tissue paper.

When the coffin has been lowered into the grave, and the soil been tossed on, we all stand around the grave, looking at the stone at the end of it. It seemed like a bad joke when we arrived with the large box, and the stone had already been set:

Delta-Oh Seven

Sev

Beloved Brother and trusted Comrade in Arms

_Kandosii Sa Ka'rta, Vode an._

Have peace, where you only knew war.

I still have to figure out what the Manda'o-line means though, as it has the word 'brother' and that's about what I know. Slowly, Ash steps a few feet closer to the grave, looking between the remaining Delta's, and the fresly turned soil;

"Death closes all: but something ere the end. Some work of noble note may yet be done, Not unbecomming men that strove with Gods..." She says, finishing with a slow salute, one which we all copy.

The rest of the Delta's, Scorch in particular, seems as if they are made of stone. Stone that cries. I have never seen someone this destroyed before, not even in the situations where Nicolai came to grips with the death of himself and his family, or Ash when she thought I had died. This... this is something much worse. The other times, the reason for the sorrow was distant, as in non-existent. Here, it's right in our faces, shoving the ugly truth at us again: We lost someone.

As we start to break up, I notice that the sun has lowered significantly more than when we started the ceremony. It was high in the sky then, but now it's red and on the Horizon.

Time flies when you're having 'fun' I suppose... why do I always have to react to grief this way? I'm just glad I'm not smiling right now, or I'd toss myself over a cliff.

We slowly scatter, most for the nearby bar, to try and settle down a little, on top of all this, but a few are heading off elsewhere. Boss is talking to John, while Liara and Scorch are sitting on a bench at the side of the cemetery, talking. I'm not even considering trying to listen in. At least I have that much moral left.

…

_Illium, Nos Astra_

_21:19_

_Okay, so I have decided that maybe keeping a diary or something like it could be a good idea… Hell if I really know, it was actually Tara's idea in the beginning, but it sounds like a good idea, so I was like 'why the hell not?'. It could also help me not lose sight of my past, just in case._

_October 9__th_

_So…. This will be my first entry into this thing. Not really sure what to say, and it is a little awkward using a voice… whatever this thing is called. I speak, and it writes… I swear, I can hack a geth to dance steps… in theory, but I can't figure out this… Tara, is this thing on?..._

_Alright, let's try that again… I'm going to delete that top paragraph when I'm done anyway. So… My name is Magnus Savarin Olafur, former Senior Sergeant onboard the SSV Normandy, if the recorder believes me, and I am now here on Illium where I have been sorta 'taken in' by my lovely Quarian friend Tara'Velan nar… Qwib Qwib? I think that was how you pronounce it… anyway, so… here I am, busting my ass off to repair an old cargo freighter, or transporter or whatever. So… the hour is now 21:22, and I'm lying on a cot, or actually it's just a thin mattress, but Tara only sleeps in a net, so I suspect I've been given the best deal here. I don't know… Right, how I met her… yes, you Tara… A diary is supposed to be private, you know? It's fine, you don't… Gods… she's an amazing girl, reminds me a lot about Tali actually, which is funny, seeing that I met her in about the same way. _

_She was being assaulted by this space mole-man, or piglet-guy or whatever you'd call a Volus to insult it… him… and then I, drunk as I was, jumped in before they could harm her, and started beating them up with an old pipe and saved the day… I wish. In reality, got beaten the fuck up, lost a middle finger on my left hand, and got a half-joker, meaning the leader of the gang cut my cheek open in one side and kept the finger… prick…_

_Reminds me, I have to get back in shape. Would like to face off against that one-mandibled prick and take him down. Shouldn't even be that hard, former N6 against a thug? Not even a fair fight if I'm sober, he he… ehm, delete that last part._

_Also… I seem to have… ended up in a different version of the universe as I knew it. Here, Shepard isn't the gorgeous and sexy, dangerous and lethal, mentally unstable flame-hair named Jane Shepard, but a Quarian named… John'Shepard, I think it was. Anyway, he's the one who is in charge of the Normandy now, and they are going to Noveria this time…_

_Something isn't right in that place though…_

* * *

_October 10__th_

_Well, I'm on the brink of urinating on this lousy piece of shit plate! I simply can't get it to stick on the surface of the hull for long enough for me to weld it down. I swear, it's sentient! It's an evil contraption sent here to torment me and… Gods, I'm more tired than I thought. I think Tara is right: Just because she can go thirty-eight hours without sleep, it doesn't mean I can… fuck, what time is it? 02:33? Gods, I really need to shut down now. Tara is sleeping in her cot already; just above me… her breath is somewhat… calming to my thoughts…_

* * *

_October 11__th_

_I'm not sure how to put this, but something definitely went wrong on Noveria for the Normandy and the crew. I'm not sure what though. The reports given to the news have been about these creatures having completely overrun the place, and the teams had to bug out. This is NOT what happened when I was there… unless it's the Rachni? No… no they never went beyond the base, and the geth wouldn't be called 'creatures'… what the hell happened out there?_

* * *

_October 13__th_

_Didn't get the chance to get anything in last night, worked till I fell flat on the floor, then slept there till morning. Apparently, that's something Tara's done quite often… I'm just glad she knows my secret, at least the relevant one… it really helps to have that of my shoulders, know what I mean?_

…

_I just asked a machine for its opinion… I need to find Chuck and get a session with him…_

* * *

_October 15__th_

_I swear, Tara… I have now often caught her in staring at me when we're working… I don't know why, but it makes me feel… uneasy. Maybe she's still in shock over the tattoo? Man, I… really, her face was just priceless… I think. It's difficult with the mask and everything._

_Also, reached my old score of one hundred crunches and fifty push-ups today. I'm getting back in shape… now I just need some 'eye of the Tiger' and I'll be set._

* * *

_October 19__th_

_Work is proceeding better than thought, and… NAILED IT! Sorry about that Tara! Well, I got the plating to stick, and welded the fucker on tighter than a Volus' wallet… if they have those. Funny how they resemble dwarves of the Nordic mythology… just, you know… space-like and all…_

_Started with lifts on some bars I found on the wall in the dry-dock. Can't heave myself more than ten times yet, but I'm getting there…_

_Also… something's going on on the Citadel… I don't know why, but the news report C-Sec setting up barricades and big guns on the Presidium… do they respond to hooligans with lethal force there?_

_Met Chuck again today, when I was up to get a breather from the work. He's curious about what we're doing, and I told him about the Ashanti. He seemed pretty excited._

_I still wonder though, for how long his ship is going to be docked on Illium… I know, maybe he's a terrorist, or maybe he works for Cerberus, or perhaps the government! *ttptptss Hah! 'The government' in Council space… right, hey world, my name is Magnus's brain, I ate paint as a child! Herp derp! He he h- ehmm…. Hi Tara? Yeah… yeah I'll just… shut this thing off…_

* * *

_October 21th_

_Well… now we know what happened on Noveria… Tara has this friend on Illium, another Quarian I think, who has a friend who has a friend who is friends with Tali on the Normandy, and…_

_Noveria was a shit-storm, literally. There weren't any Rachni on the planet, instead it was overrun by what Tara had been told was… Xenomorphs? Like in the movie! They even spit acid, like- yes, it's about those things on Noveria Tara… you ever seen the movie 'Aliens'? Yeah, those very same things. No, I don't know how those fuckers made it from the screen and into the real world. I'm just glad I am not going to Noveria anytime the next decade…_

_The teams sent there had to pull out, and from what I understand through the chain-mail or message thing those girls and guys used to tell Tara, they lost some people as well… someone named Sev or Shevchenko… a Russian perhaps? And… Kaidan has gotten a facehugger on him… it's some time since Tara's heard from them, so maybe he's alright now. I hope so. _

_The bugger may be boring outside the poker table, but he's a good guy._

* * *

_October 22th _

_Alright, present time… will just continue as usual…_

_Damn… well, better start with the most important news, depending on how you see it. Tara has gotten the targeting and controls on the turret to work, don't ask me how, and we're going to install it on the ship tomorrow. We're actually going to be done weeks before deadline, so if we're lucky, the guy owning the dry-dock may give her some money back… or, I make him. Either way, when we've gotten the thing mounted on the hull and made it work, I'm taking her out drinking. To celebrate her good work. _

_Now, the more… somber news… while I was writing the other stuff… oh, and we're taking a break, watching news in the Sportsbar, the barkeep changed it to channel SH, or Saren-Hunting. Yeah, the prick has a channel named after, and dedicated to the hunt for his sorry ass… well, the team and the Normandy has touched down on Horizon, in a colony named Houston… no wait, it's 'New Houston'… makes sense._

_There's a funeral for one of the members of the Normandy, probably the Shevchenko-guy. It's really peaceful, just like a funeral should be. The guy I'm guessing is John'Shepard himself just stepped down from the speakers platform, and a new guy is taking the position after him is a human with… damn, he looks like a walking corpse… the dead dude was probably a good friend…_

* * *

Magnus sighed, putting away the mike as he looked at the screen in the bar. The funeral had been over for some time, and the screen had been changed back to the match of gravi-ball between a team of Asari and a team of Turians. It helped take his mind off of work seeing two teams from highly advanced cultures clash and struggle in zero gravity mud while punching each other with rubber fists.

The cream of galactic civilization was behaving like human cavemen. Something he always had found curious and funny. A shame the 'blood talons' had been ousted in the finals. They had been his and Jane's favorite team, and they had a very special way of celebrating when they won. He smiled weakly at the thought of her, of her body's movements, of her wild and lustful eyes.

Taking another swirl of his drink, he turned to look at Tara, sipping at her Dextro-cocktail with a straw. It always reminded him of a small girl with a straw in her soda. His smile became a little wider at the sight.

If Tara hadn't believed him, he probably would have cracked by now, thrown himself over a ledge for good this time around.

Still, something about the way she looked at him sometimes, and what Chuck had said, concerned him a little. He hoped that he was wrong, that there wasn't any attraction towards him from his friend's side. Because he didn't feel any attraction towards her.

Sure, she was a young woman, with a slim and, he had to add, slightly seductive form and way of walking, while also being cute and somewhat irresistible to be around. Plus she was friendly and took care of people and had a compassionate spirit. Still, he viewed her more as friend than a potential girlfriend. He guessed he just wasn't into aliens.

However, he'd bet she and Tali would make a good pair of friends. They were practically copies in some sense.

"Magnus?" Tara said while keeping her face over her drink, only moving her bright orbs in his direction, making him aware she was looking at him.

"Mmmm?" He hummed, having his mouth filled with beer. It was the first time they were out relaxing, and he had half a mind changing the celebration after the mounting of the turret. If they had already been out drinking once, doing so again would seem more like a repetition than a 'party', in his eyes. Swallowing, he turned to look at her.

"How come you never wanted to return to the Normandy? I mean, if we get the ship down and all, what's stopping you from trying to return?" She asked with a small voice, and he could feel the anxiousness radiating from her person. He forced himself to smile;

"Well, I'd be leaving you behind, wouldn't I?" He said with a happy voice. The truth however, was that he would feel unwelcome on the ship, if he was even allowed to join. It had been Jane's ship, and everyone had followed her lead. He couldn't see himself taking orders from someone he would only view as an imposter, however ridiculous that might sound.

"Oh? I didn't realize you were so attached to me." She replied with a much happier voice. Maybe she read something into his comment that he didn't mean for her to.

"Yeah, it'd be like abandoning my sister to travel all alone. Besides, I'm planning on making sure your pilgrimage goes without you dying or something like that." He chuckled, giving her a small pat on the back which evidently was a bit harder than he had meant for, causing her to spill some of her drink onto the counter.

"I… right, all alone… bro." She replied with a snarky tone, although he felt sure he could read some sort of fluster in it.

"Please don't EVER call me that…" He laughed, feeling the alcohol starting to take effect.

"Why not?" She giggled back, the sound of her voice obscured by what sounded like bubbles and gurgles.

"Because it sounds so silly, you know? The last to call me bro was a muscled up Mexican dude… or Hispanic, I actually never found out…" He finished, taking a hand to his chin to ponder the issue. This just caused Tara to giggle even harder;

"So? I'll just become a buff mesican… metican? A buff dude like that, no problem." She said, laughing each word out. Clearly, she wasn't exactly _used_ to drinking.

"Ha, Tara, the day you do that, I'll marry you and carry you through the door in an old fashioned style. Now, cheers girl, to us, and that stupid piece of crap we call a ship!" He shouted, and held his glass high for her to clink. She did, although with a somewhat distant and emotionless movement. He couldn't know just what was going through her mind at those words, and for some reason, he was glad that he truly didn't. It meant less change of responsibility and risk of hurting someone if he didn't know their expectations.

"To us then, and the Ashanti, may it carry us to our goals, many as they may be, or to our untimely death, should the Ancestors deem us unworthy." She replied. Magnus felt somewhat uncomfortable by that last part, as if Quarians accepted the possibility of death a lot lighter than other races. He for one, didn't long for the cold grave of the void, nor for the watery or that on land. He had already tired of that one after the first time.

"Well, how about we just hope for the 'goals' part, and leave out the 'ready to die if deemed unworthy' part?" He asked with a small smile.

"Oh… I suppose that works as well." Tara said as she finished her drink and got up from her chair.

"Where' you goin'?" He asked, flinching at his own drunken voice. Had he really had _that_ much already?

"To bed. I think you should too. We'll have to have our minds set straight if we're to mount the turret without help and to perfection." She replied, and started hauling Magnus off as well, having grabbed his jacket's neck.

…

October 23th

Illium, Nos Astra

09:57

The smell of bacon, both Dextro and Levo, permeated the small apartment Magnus and Tara shared while working. It was synthetic, of course, as getting real meat these days was more expensive than buying your own fighter-jet. Still, it sufficed.

In the small kitchen, Magnus was in the process of wrapping up a large role of the boiling strips of meat, while he had another pan sizzling with the grinded version of bacon, the Dextro-based stuff that would then be stuffed into a tube before he ran it through a heater that would kill every single bacteria and trace of his DNA there was. It was troublesome, but he had figured that since Tara had worked herself to sleep the night before, even though she had been adamant about him going to bed, he would make her breakfast, as trivial as it seemed.

He had managed to do his pushups while the bacon started sizzling, and had just saved it from a complete meltdown when he got back and saw his own portion on fire.

Last time he had checked, Tara was still slumped against one of the crates containing parts and thingies, and since he didn't feel like starting work on an empty stomach either, he let her sleep.

Running the last trials on the tube, he picked it all up in a small casket, and placed his own bacon on a plate before heading down to the dry-dock. He also brought a pair of water bottles, intend on filling them at one of the Levo/Dextro fountains around the city.

He ended up in the dry-docks, finding Tara in the same spot he had left her, snoring against a crate. It was inarguably a cute sight, one which made him smile like a proud parent. It seemed weird, seeing as he was, at most, six or seven years older than her.

"Good morning sunshine, the Earth says _Hello!_ To all the little… stars above and below!" He bellowed out in his best singer's voice as he entered the room, causing a startled Tara to fall to the floor in shock. He grinned as he observed her reaction while making his way over to where she was struggling to rub her eyes through the visor.

"I… I… Magnus? What time is it?" She asked while slowly getting up from her position on the floor. He couldn't suppress a grin at the sight and sound of her morning grogginess: It was just too damn cute. Then again, it seemed like most things were when they were done by young and cute Quarians.

"A little past ten, I think. I…" He said, showing her the casket he had the food in; "Brought breakfast. You like?" He asked with a smile, praying that eating pork wasn't actually against Quarian religion. Still, from what he remembered, meat in general was a delicacy among Quarians, so he couldn't be all wrong.

Her face was, if he could have seen it, completely frozen by the words. He had brought her breakfast, actually made _her _food. That was the first time anyone had ever done that for her. She had always had to try and appease others in order to survive, and here this human made her breakfast, as he called it, and it even included meat. Meat was something incredibly valuable to Quarians, since domestic animals weren't available to the fleet.

In other words: Tara had only tasted meat once before, and that was something a Turian at the shelters had given her, as a… trade. She shivered at the thought, not wanting to remember that day. The meat had tasted rotten as a result, and her appetite had been completely spoiled by what she had had to do to earn it.

Now, here was a human who demanded nothing in return, giving her a freshly made tube of boiled and fried meat, cloned and grown as it might be, it was still meat. As she sucked in and chewed on the paste, she felt the shivers of delight running through her body.

"Is it any good?" Magnus asked, amused over the visible trembles her body made with each bite. It was a pleasure watching her enjoy what he had made, and while he started digging in on his own portion, a small voice at the back of his mind asked him if he didn't like Tara as something other than a friend. He dismissed it though.

He was a human still loving a dead person, and she was a young Quarian who was bound to return to the fleet when she had completed her pilgrimage. As long as it might take.

Besides, there was no way she would actually see more in him than a friend or perhaps protector. And he saw her as the same: A good friend, and someone he cared for. Hell could kiss his balls if she wanted to take Tara from him.

Still, the little voice wouldn't shut up, and instead of buzzing off, it gave him a tingling feeling whenever he looked at Tara, or caught a glimpse of her slim form from the right angle. He had to admit it to himself, again: She had a stunning outline, and an enviable personality.

"Yes it is. Do you nhaf amy iea how rae eat is on the… on the fleet?" Tara asked as she swallowed the lump of mashed and boiled bacon. Magnus just nodded and smiled;

"Yeah, Tali told me once. You don't have room for animals on the Fleet, so it's as valuable as new materials."

"True… still, I _love_ this. But…. Where did you find or afford this? I didn't have any meat, let alone bacon." She asked, causing him to frown a little. It had actually been a gift from Chuck, as a sort of 'sign of good faith', in case he wouldn't be well met by Tara.

"Well, it's… from a friend, actually. His name is Ch-Conrad Chambers, works as a psychologist on an Alliance ship stationed here for the time being. I think he was also there when… you know, I tried to jump. He says he saw you and spoke to you… rings any bells?"

"I remember a man who spoke to me when you were unconscious. His name was Conrad?" Tara asked, putting her finished tube away.

"Yeah… I met him on the Sportsbar the other night, we had a good talk and he bought me a beer. Then he gave me this a few days ago, asked if he could come see the ship sometime. What do you think?" Magnus asked while scooping up another bite of bacon.

"He seemed nice enough to me. I don't see anything wrong with him checking in. Who knows, he might even be able to help out… does he… know your…" Tara asked, making small circular movements in the air with her hand.

"Know of my origin? Nope, that's just you."

"Great, I don't need a fan-club around us when we're working." She said in a bit more thoughtful voice.

…

October 23th

Illium, Nos Astra

15:02

Magnus brushed a hand across his forehead, dirtying it with a mixture of oil and grease. This was the part of the repair he couldn't make up his mind about whether he liked or hated.

"Can you lower it a bit?" Tara asked, snapping his mind back to the present. He had been daydreaming, thinking back to his days with Jane, thinking back to the first day they had been together for real, with no clothes on. He remembered her forms, how her supple breasts had hardened in his hands, how she had shivered upon his touch. How he had gone from being a guy who was secret in love with her, to being her lover, to her greatest supporter. Especially after Torfan, where Jane had snapped.

"Hmm?"

"I said: Can you lower it a bit?" Tara repeated, sending him an annoyed glare.

Magnus got his mind into a more collected version, and looked over the tools and gears in front of him. Tara was doing some programming inside the ship, and he had to man the machine keeping her lifted up and into the belly of the ship, right under the cargo bay's opening. There was a system of gears not responding to the commands of the control board, and they needed to have it fixed up before they could focus on the turret.

"Yeah, yeah sure let me just… there, better?"

"Much… Okay, I think I've found the… nope, that's supposed to be there… ehm… not that one either… Magnus?"

"Yeah?"

"Does the flux intake connect to the dynamics of the ramp, or the generator for the power-bleeding from the engines?" She called.

"Eh… the last one I think…" He responded while pinching the bridge of his nose, smearing his face with the black substances.

"Right… then… what about this countdown?" She called from the belly of the ship.

"What countdown?"

"The one saying zero-zero, one-ni… one-eight, seven…" She said, counting down.

"What?! Tara, get out of there!" He shouted, struggling with the controls for the machine. If there was a bomb, he would not let her die to it. He had lost enough already.

"Got you!" she laughed when he had lowered her down to his level; "There's no timer or that, I just made it up." She laughed, making him feel a mixture of the want to pull her mask off and barf in her face, and wanting to laugh as well. He did the latter.

"I swear… Tara. One of these days, you're gonna cry 'Wolf', and I'm gonna ignore the fuck out of you while you get eaten." He chuckled, raising her back up into the ship.

"Cry what now?"

"Wolf. An old story where a boy is in charge of guarding a bunch of sheep, and he makes his fun by tricking the villagers into thinking that the wolf is attacking. When in reality, it isn't. Then, the wolf finally shows up and eats the kid's ass, while the villagers ignore his screams." He said while looking around the room.

"Wait, so he died?" Tara asked from inside the ship. The occasional spark from wires and such could be seen and heard from her position.

"The story varies. In some, he gets eaten, while in others, the sheep are all eaten. I think it depends on the audience." He said with a smile, pulling out the mike for his diary;

"October 23th. I just taught human folk-tales to Tara. Effect: She won't trick me with fake bomb alarms anymore." He said, placing it back in his belt. He had to admit, it was a handy way of recording his thoughts, instead of writing them down.

"I heard that!" She shouted from her place, which just made Magnus smile again, contemplating whether or not he should have some fun on her behalf by toying with the controls for the lift.

A series of footsteps on the floor behind him made him cease his devious smiling and turn to face a familiar face.

…

October 23th

SSV Normandy

Deck one. Cockpit, CIC and briefing room.

"Well, we are out of leads people. We have tracked down every single lead the council has given us, and our sources on Virmire says it's all quiet, and besides the occasional slaver-ship discharging in orbit, there's no activity at all." John says as we're all seated.

"What are you saying Commander, the trail's gone cold?" Garrus asks with a low growl. I bet he's a bit pissed right now. I'm not sure how I feel about it though.

I just don't get it, we were supposed to find a base or something on Virmire, and then there would be all the bullshit Genesis mentioned, like choosing whether or not to kill Wrex, and to save either Kaidan or Ash. Instead, the STG-team there reports nothing out of place, no geth, no need for a nuke, no nothing. Did I fuck something up so big that Virmire never happens?

No… I can't be that lucky.

Although… I'd say losing my virginity to Ash… that counts as being one hell of a lucky guy. And now, she's been asking how I was this good when it was the first time. I just don't know what to answer. Or, I _know_ why I was that good, but it made me throw up when I found out.

Roku, the perverted son of a whore, had a few fingers in play during our love-making. The fucking bastard literally joined in and… no, I can't even think the rest without puking again. It was the most intimate thing I've ever done with someone, and then a spectral being decides that he has to 'help out' when I'm with Ash. If he was physical, I'd have broken every single bone in his body, and then shot him out the airlock… wherever _that_ is located.

Sighing, I bring my mind back to the task and matter at hand: Complaining over a break in our hunt. I suppose the bastard will reach the Citadel no matter what we do, but… it is sound to hunt him all the same. If we actually kill him before the attack on the Citadel, we'll be home-free… I think.

"Yes, that is… what I'm saying. We don't know where he's gone, and apparently neither Hudson's or Jane's knowledge works here, since we should then know about Saren being on that Kazuat ball of rock by now…" He says, slumping down in his seat. I suppose it is something of a personal defeat, having lost track of the indoctrinated bastard. But as long as we know he'll be on the Citadel, we can prepare for him... I think.

"So… in essence, we have nothing to do for the moment?" I ask, rubbing my face as my hair is starting to fall down it on the left side. Seems my left side is the one always bugging me. Wonder if I should get the actual Mohawk Ash thought looked so cute. I guess it did look pretty good actually, so… why not?

"In essence… yes. We are dead in the water… anyone have something they want to take care of, any personal trips of something, better tell me now and we'll get as much squared away before the next batch of Intel gets here." John replies, wringing his hands as he stretches. That's one thing I really like about him in the soldier-commander relationship he's establishing:

John behaves both professionally and casually at the same time, making you feel like he's both your boss and your friend. I wish my trainers in Homeland Security had been like him. Perhaps I would have learned something then.

"I have something for you, if you have the time for it Shepard." Wrex says, looking almost embarrassed to ask. Never thought I'd get to see him wring his hands… looks like the krogan version of Tali.

"So do I, but let's hear Wrex first." Jane says, nodding to the Krogan. I'm not sure how or why, but those two have really been hitting it lately. Could be their violent nature, but heck if I know.

"Okay, there's this turian named Actus, Tonn Actus. He's somehow gotten his claws on my family's old ceremonial armor. I want it back. Problem is, this guy isn't exactly on the market. He's a dealer in the black market, silences those he can't buy out, and he killed the man I sent to buy the armor back last year. I've found out where he's hiding, and as much as I hate to say it, I can't take him alone. That's pretty much it, and no Vakarian or Kryik. It's NOT just because I don't like Turians in general." Funny how all turian names sound roman. I really wonder if they have a planet named Rome or Sparta. Someone should have chat with them about copyright then.

There's silence in the room for some minutes after Wrex has spoken, and I am a bit taken aback as well. Is this Wrex's side mission? What would be his loyalty mission in the game? If so, this is pretty cool.

"So… you want us to take down a bunch of mercenaries to reclaim some lost armor?" Nihlus asks. For some reason, I don't think those two are on the best of terms. It's merely an assumption, an educated guess.

"No, I don't _want_ you to do that, I'm asking you to _help me_ take them down, as in I'm going in first, and just need some assistance. And second, that armor is priceless Spectre, it's a fucking relic. Useless, but it has sentimental value. Like if you wanted to find… whatever you spike-heads find sentimental, that your grandfather lost somehow." Wrex growls. Okay, I guess they actually don't like each other at all.

"So… we just go in, shoot the place up, with no risk of hurting civvies, and kill the fucker, then get the armor?" Nic asks, looking at Wrex with something akin to a hopeful look. Wrex turns to face him;

"In short? Yeah, that about it." He says with a small glint in his eyes. Why do I have the bad feeling here?

"Awesome, sign me in!" Nic responds, bumping his fists together. Oh, now I know why I have the bad feeling. My best friend is turning into a shootout-loving maniac. Perfect…

"Hmm… do you know how big a team would be required for this?" John asks, scratching his helmet's chin with a hand.

"About four or five should do it. His goons are just that: Goons. They are pretty much just hired off the streets and given a gun. I bet they would just piss themselves to see us coming, if you… want to." I can see John mulling it over. I can't see his face, but his body language is clear enough.

I have to admit, seeing and hearing Wrex ask for help… I never thought I'd see the day, and now that I have, I'm not sure if I like it. I always pictured him as this immobile and untouchable warlord who wasn't afraid of anything or anyone. A guy who didn't know the meaning of 'awkward' or 'shy'. And now he sounds almost nervous that John and Jane won't help him.

"Hmmm… unless we get Intel from the Alliance or the Council in the meantime, I don't see why not. We have a big enough compliment that we can spare the men. But, Nihlus will be leading the mission." John says with a final voice, letting the old Krogan know the matter isn't up for discussion.

I'm slowly bracing myself for the outburst, the objection and rage that Wrex has to abide by the turian Spectre. Instead, Wrex just nods;

"Thanks commander. I'll give Joker the coordinates." He says before sitting down again. Okay… what just happened? Wrex is supposed to be against Nihlus, not this… calm. Did I misunderstand his character, or did my being here fuck up his personality? Then again, he enjoyed John torturing Fist, so he can't be all bad… _I didn't just think that, did I?_

"Alright, now that Wrex has aired his concerns, I think it's my turn." Jane says stepping into the middle of the room. She looks at John, for acknowledgement I guess. He nods, and she continues;

"I know you all by now know of my past, that I am not from _this_ version of the universe. Back when I was… back then, I had a mission for a friend of mine, a man I considered my mentor. His name was Sullivan Kahoku, an Alliance Rear Admiral. He lost contact with his men on a planet they were sent to investigate. We were going there, but… someone got to Kahoku in the meantime."

"Who?" Garrus asks, leaning forward in his seat.

"Nothing was ever proven, but Anderson had a strong suspicion it was Cerberus, the pro-human group that makes Terra-Firma look like hippies." Jane sneers. She gives me a momentary glance, as if blaming me since I know Jacob and Miranda. The look disappears before anyone else can see it though.

She isn't still pissed over the 'Jacob and her' thing I let slip, is she?

"Wait… if they are pro-human, they should have protected marines, not killed them, right?" Tequila asks, rubbing the bridge of her nose. I've never really understood that part of Cerberus agenda either. They claim to stand for humanity, but slaughter innocents in scores.

"Yeah… they don't give a fuck though… if someone's a threat, he or she gets taken down, human or not" I say, shuddering to think of what John went through on Akuze. It all makes sense now. Batarians or other merc-bands would never be able to control Threshers… had to be Cerberus. It's a public secret I guess, but it still bids the question: Does Miranda know, and was she part of the experiment? She claimed not to have known of John until a few months back, but… yeah, I fucking bought it.

I thought I held all the cards, and that fucking broad lied to me with a straight 'Oh I'm innocent' face! I'm going to hurt her so fucking bad when I see her next time. Maybe we should pay Aite a visit, and lure Miranda or Jacob out by bombing their VI-facility to gravel.

"What happened then?" John asks, pressing Jane for more. She takes a deep inhale and continues;

"Cerberus got to him. They took him and we never found him… until his body turned up on Omega, and the news all said he had died in his sleep, leaving a wife and kids. John… _I_ had to look his family in the eyes and lie to them, feed them the same bullshit the media did. I… I want to save his life this time, even if I have to abandon ship to do so." Jane says. There's a fire burning in her eyes, one I haven't seen before in any person I've ever met, not even Ash.

"Hmm… Kahoku? I met someone named Kahoku when we were on the Citadel for Thomas's prosthetics… Hawaiian? Grey beard and always impeccably dressed?" John says, causing a light of recognition to flare in Jane's eyes.

"Yes, yes that's him. So he's alive still… thank God."

"Alive and worried. His marines have already gone missing from what I heard…" Ash says, joining in. How did she know that?

"Then it's begun… Commander, Captain Jane Shepard requesting permission to take leave and protect him." Jane says, standing tall in front of John. The latter just waves his hands dismissively.

"Absolutely not! Remember, we have a large enough team to split up for the time being. We drop by the Citadel in two days, then we meet Kahoku and you, Fisher and T'soni will take on the assignment as his temporary body-guards. While Wrex and Nihlus are out taking down Actus, the rest of us will go dig for Cerberus and their hidey-holes. If all goes as planned, we'll be able to pull this off with no casualties and be ready for the Intel when the council finds something. No one's taking 'leaves' while I'm in charge." He says with a confident voice.

I can't help a smile protrude on my face.

Despite all the shit we've seen so far, despite the personal and otherwise injuries and losses, this feels like it's going the right way. Looking around the room, I can see several of the others nod, but none standing to air their own problems. I guess that was it.

I wonder if anything can even touch us at this point. We can be at more places at once, and we have some F'in heavy-hitters on the ship. Cerberus can just try taking a pot-shot at Kahoku now that we know they are coming.

…

October 23th

Cronos station

16:22

"Ah, mister Taylor. I'm glad to see you back in the fold. I trust you had a pleasant flight?" The Illusive Man asked, leaning back in his custom-made chair. He was puffing on a fresh cigarette, enjoying the advantages of modern medicine. The cigarettes were completely harmless to one's health, and as such he could enjoy them without the risk of Cerberus losing its leader to cancer.

In front of him, the holographic image of Jacob Taylor stood, looking less than amused over his superior's reaction to the entire affair. Both with Noveria and concerning his capture.

"Thanks, it was a nice diversion from the last week's capture and interrogation." He said with a stern face and a pissed voice. He hadn't slept properly since his conversations with the Alliance corporal Fisher. It wasn't because he had told him that he knew Jacobs father. It was because Jacob knew the man had been lying when he said it, and that left out the only plausible explanation on how he could know what he did about Jacob, and Miranda for that matter's sake.

"Ah yes, Miranda told me how you were subjugated to threats about 'being sent back one finger at a time'." He said calmly, puffing on his cigarette; "I'm glad to see that was avoided. Out of mere curiosity, did you encounter this 'Fisher' again?" He asked, while his steel-blue eyes bore into the Afro-American man in front of him.

"Yeah, he was the one who almost broke my jaw with a single punch. You saw the video of the skirmishes on Hanshan?"

"I did… the green biotics were a surprise, even to me. Did you find out anything about him? His past, his powers, why they are green, how he has avoided detection of our biotic cells, his motives, et cetera?"

"Not much. Even his fellow crewmembers don't seem to know of his past. It wasn't in the data Miranda was given, and so far we only know he arrived on Eden Prime and was recruited there… before that we've got nothing, like he's a ghost…" Jacob answered. He was starting to be genuinely creeped out by the young corporal. The things he did, the things he knew… it shouldn't be possible. Unless he had spies in Cerberus, which was actually the, to Jacob, most preferable theory.

"Hmm… anything else about him?" The Tycoon asked, keeping a level gaze on his employee.

"There is something, but I don't know how relevant it is… when he was threatening to tear apart me and my team… normally that would be bravado from one man, but his squad mates seemed to be actually taking him serious and calming him down… he referred to 'letting Roku loose' on us. I don't know who or what Roku is… maybe a weapon or a person we haven't seen yet, but the face of the other human member of his team… she _paled_ when he said it, like it was something really dangerous. He is held in high regards on the ship, from what I could make out, and has info on pretty much everyone onboard. Info they seemingly hadn't told him before… could he be the Shadow Broker? I mean, we've never been able to confirm the identity of him or them, and this guy shows up on no files and knows things no one should…"

"I doubt it. He's far too young… on a side note mister Taylor. What do you make of our chances of recruiting him to our cause?" The Illusive man asked, taking a new inhale on his cigarette.

"Honestly? I think he'd die before he joined us. He wasn't outright hostile towards me or Miranda, but he made it clear that he knows who and what we are, and what we're doing. Other than wanting something from you personally, I doubt he'd want any other business with us than at the bad end of a gun. That's my opinion sir." Jacob said, standing a bit more straight.

"So, he's a threat to us?"

"With his level of knowledge? Yeah, I'd say so. He even claimed to know the location of the Zeus station, and was ready to hand it to the Alliance if Miranda didn't comply with his commands." Jacob answered truthfully. There was no way they could turn Fisher into a member of Cerberus, despite what Miri might think.

Former Jack Harper mulled over this for some time while Jacob stood at attention in the hologram. There was some real possibility with an individual capable of producing green biotics, especially of the strength he had seen displayed on the recording. A class six of the creatures had been tossed through the air like a toy, and then slammed into walls and ceilings while the corporal was hovering in the air.

If Cerberus could get their hands on him, dead or alive, they might be able to benefit greatly from studying his brain and body.

"Thank you Jacob, that will be all." He said. Jacob then nodded and left the hologram which instantly shut down afterwards.

Sitting in the darkness of the room for some hours, the only light coming from the dying star, he was thinking. He weighed the consequences against the benefits, the pro's against the con's.

After having depleted his last cigarette, he decided, and opened a comm. link;

"Mister Garfield?"

"Yes sir?"

"Contact the Hanar, and get Krios dialed up. I have someone I want taken down and brought to me. In a body bag and intact." He said before shutting the link off. Sitting in the darkness again, he fished up a new package of cigarettes and lit one, once again enjoying the taste of the tobacco.

A few hours later, the comm. link activated again, and Harper picked up.

"Garfield here. I have mister Thane Krios on hold. Would you like to brief him in person, or should I do it?" The operative asked. When working with the most dangerous tycoon in the galaxy, it paid well to be respectful of your boss's wishes.

"Patch him in, I'll give him the rundown." He said, turning the screen around so that the other side of the link would see the star, not him.

"Illusive Man. I have been told you have an assignment for me." A dry, almost sad voice said. In the turned around screen, the Cerberus leader could see a Drell, past his prime years from the looks of him, and with heavy bags under his eyes. A small voice asked him if this man really was fit to work as an assassin, but he dismissed it. For humans, eye bags were a sign of tiredness. In Drells, it was as much a normal part as the lips or eyes. He had light-green skin, with patches of black under his face, like skin under a helmet. Drell, next after Asari, were the most human-like species in the Galaxy. Biggest difference was the difference in DNA-coding, and the fact that their bodily liquids caused the same effects as some heavier drugs.

"Yes. How much have you been told?"

"Your employee has been very scarce in details. He only mentioned a job, and that it had priority." The Drell answered, his dry voice gritting through the speakers like sandpaper. It was probably to be expected of someone whose species have lived on a world that could best be compared to either Rannoch, or the deserts in the mid-west on Earth.

"I have a job for you indeed. A man by the mane of Thomas Fisher, Alliance Marines. He'll be on the Citadel in a few days, I'll send you what files we have on him." He said, tapping a button to bring up the data their informant on the Normandy had been able to piece together and combine with Miranda's own data from the small robot she had been given back.

How ironic that Fisher had delivered the needed info himself. It caused a small smile to appear on his face, something that happened less and less often.

Fisher might have been an asset to the Normandy, but he had grown too knowledgeable of his organization, and thus caused more trouble than he was worth in the long run. There was always the chance that Fisher had been bluffing about knowing the location of Zeus station, but he wasn't going to wait until a Council Spectre kicked the door in to his stations and font-companies.

It was a risk he couldn't afford to take.

Besides, Fisher's body would reveal some groundbreaking understanding in his biotics, and how to implement it in Cerberus's own growing private army.

"Curious… I've never been tasked with marines before. Colonels and admirals yes, but a marine?"

"Just do your job Krios. You are but a weapon…" He started, waiting for the Drell to catch up;

"And you are the killer… I understand." He said, terminating the link. Jack Harper let out a sigh of relief. The best assassin he knew of was on the case, which meant Thomas Fisher would soon be but a memory, except for his cold body.

That one, would be a real throve of treasures.

* * *

**Well... that can't be good... **

**Always pissed me off that the murder of Kahoku was never mentioned in Mass Effect 2. I mean seriously? they killed an admiral for fuck's sake! I'd have spam-mailed TIM, at the LEAST!**

**Also, a question: So far, which character is your favorite? Can be OC, can be Cannon. Take your pick :)**

**Well, I'm off till next time.**

**See ya :) **


	34. Over the Cliff

**A/N: **

**Okay. As you may remember, MC won the contest for the next outsider to appear on Thomas's doorstep... so to speak. Remember that when you encounter tech that doesn't seem to be from Star Wars... Okay, that made no sense as all, but you get the point.**

**Well, let's kick it off!**

* * *

Over the Cliff

October 25th

Citadel, Presidium tower

14:27

This is only the second time I've been here, if one doesn't count the ten-sec meeting we had under the stairs a 'visit', and frankly, I like it more this way. The tower is far more… peaceful now than it was when C-Sec was running around here, preparing for the case against Saren.

Now they are running around the Presidium, erecting barricades and and setting up big guns. It gives me a good feeling knowing we won't be totally unprepared for whatever comes through the monument.

I have a bit more time to actually appreciate the environment in here while Jane is leading the talks with Kahoku. The man looks like Hackett's brother for all I can see, with the same grizzled face, hard like it was chiseled in granite. Still, he has a softer touch to him, a more… compassionate way of talking and a looking at us.

Jane has been presenting herself, Liara and me as a security-detachment from the Normandy, while Liara and I are just playing the role of the silent watchers: She with her biotics and me with my Raikou, shotgun and Lancer-V, as well as Ash's personal other birthday-gift to me: A mother-F'in sword!

I now know what she was working on that day where I almost caught her and Wrex toying around with it in the cargo bay, but it still feels so weird. I mean, who in this universe uses a sword? In combat I mean. Still, it's pretty badass when looking at it.

The handle is made from some sort of fusion of rubber and leather, giving me a really good grip, even if my hands are sweaty or I am wearing a thick gauntlet. It is spray-painted a dull green and brown, giving it an almost camouflagish appearance. The blade itself is about a meter in lenght, and ends in a flat cut from the rest of the blade, signaling that it is meant to slash and chop, not to stab with. The blade is made from a metal that looks a bit like steel, but the dull light it reflects leads the mind to consider if it is graphene-tipped, coated with or simply made from it. From what I remember, Graphene was the miracle-material of the twenty-first century, with abilities like extreme strength, sharpness and a candidate for superconductors. If this thing is coated with or made from graphene, it should technically be possible to electrify it... I think.

I have it holstered at my right side, since it's meant to be used by both left and right hand. I have to admit, it's good thinking. With my artificial arm, I should be able to cleave in a way that would make every single sword-swinging hero in fantasy green with envy. I just need to test it out on the next guy who fucks with me.

We're all dressed in our combat attire, meaning the phase-II armor. Liara's shoulder-pad has been replaced with one of same design but of a more acid resistant material. I'm not sure what it's made of, but it has a slightly different gleam to it than the rest of her armor.

Jane herself is armored up from top to toe in an even more advanced suit that the ship received upon docking with the Normandy. In essence, it is a more bulky version of what we are wearing, while also packing an in-built exoskeleton and wrist-mounted knives, ready to shoot out and stab through bone and plating with a flicker of her hand.

I watched as she put it on onboard, with the most devious smile on her face. When asked who sent it, she just replied 'a friend'.

Now, I'm not the paranoid type, but when someone sends a stranger to this version of the universe a high-tech hard-suit with the synthetic muscles of a pumped Krogan… I start to wonder.

Besides the suit, Jane packs a pair of pistols, one on each side, and a shotgun and rifle as well. I can never stop thinking what Chief Jensen back at Homeland Security would have barked and cursed if he saw me walk around with a shotgun resting pretty much _on my ass_, as one can put it. Or having a loaded assault rifle slung over my back like this.

But hey, he can suck it. I am pretty sure he never faced off against geth or Xenos like I have, so per definition, I'm more experienced than him. _Ha, he'd kick my balls for that statement… but hey, I got a medal, he didn't. _I smile slightly as I touch the Purple heart hanging from my neck along with my dog tags.

Besides that, my only other gear is my Omni-tool, which I'm starting to, not master, but be able to use on foot with the others. About time too, I've been here for months. The last piece of 'gear' is the printed photo of Ash wearing my uniform in the gym's tool and requisites-room, after we were together. It shows her smiling wide with her hair all messed up and eyes showing exhaustion. It's something of a 'lucky charm' to me. Also, it keeps my mood up when I'd down. I hope. I haven't been down yet since the funeral, and I think Fixer and Scorch are the most emotionally messed up from that.

Scorch was escorted to the hospital the second we got to the Citadel, and is being treated for severe burns, loss of blood, trauma and PTSD. I figure they will give him a new leg, like the new arm I got when my own got… well, blown up.

Still… that was only possible because the Purple Heart funded the surgery… Scorch hasn't been inducted into the Alliance yet, so I don't know if he will get it as well. The medal actually loses some shine when you remember what people have to go through to get it. Lose blood for king and country, so to speak.

Fixer was allowed to see him in, but then had to return to the Normandy as the rest of the crew were going to help out Wrex and… well, and other stuff I don't know about. Let's face it: For someone who's supposed to have borderline divine knowledge of this universe, I know jack-shit about what's going on around me. Hell, I could get lost on the Presidium, and don't get me started on the rest of the Citadel.

I wanted Ash to come, just as she wanted to, but orders are orders. This is the first case where I've really seen how frustrating orders can be. Especially when I can't go against them when the only reason I have is that I want to be near her. So instead we settled for a kiss and a hug at the docks, as well as me demanding of Nicolai to take good care of her. I know he will, but I'm still nervous when I can't protect her. And I doubt that will change until after Virmire, if that even actually happens.

That is another thing bugging me. How come there isn't even a base on that fucki- on that blasted planet? It really doesn't make sense. I mean, sure I can change people's personality by being here, even their species… but make entire bases disappear? That just sounds too far-fetched, even for me.

I'm being brought back to reality by Jane presenting me and Liara to the Rear Admiral, who's looking at us and our armor with the greatest curiosity;

"Admiral, this is Doctor Liara T'soni, our biotic specialist." Jane says, watching as the admiral greets and shakes hands with Liara.

"A pleasure miss T'soni. I'm terribly sorry about your mother…" Kahoku says, giving her a genuine sad smile. How is that even public knowledge already? We've barely gotten back to the council space, and we haven't even been assaulted by a single reporter yet.

"I… thank you Admiral. Yes it… it is difficult to face..." She says, barely lifting her gaze to look at him. The only reason I can see her reaction is due to the small screens on the HUD, showing the upper faces of the other wearers. It's a bit confusing when we're in the same room or standing in front of each other, but when apart by several meters and rooms, it is good to see some friendly eyes.

Jane moves on to me, and I feel a pit tighten in my stomach. If this guy died in Jane's version, then I can change cannon for the better by helping save his life. I snap to a salute when Jane gestures towards me;

"Admiral, this is Corporal Thomas Fisher. He'll be sticking to you twenty-four seven, not even leaving the room when you sleep. He'll also be our team's main sentry and mid-to-close range fighter, in case Cerberus is coming for you." She says, and I finally take my hand down from the salute. I actually don't know how long one is supposed to keep his hand in the air in this situation.

"Corporal Fisher? I've heard about you from your aunt. Anna Fisher right?" He asks with a smile. Wait… _Aunt?_ Well she did say she would just pose as my aunt should anyone ask about the connection, but… it sounds really weird. Still, it makes sense.

Opening my seals, I take my helmet under the left arm as I take his hand in my right. For a short moment, his eyes widen, but only for a fraction of a second.

"Yeah, she has a habit of exaggerating though. I have only killed a million bad-guys, not the trillion she keeps yapping about." I respond with a smile. I pray he has humor, or my comment will be taken literally. Not something I would enjoy having to explain to an admiral.

"Oh, then your reputation does indeed surpass you. Still, I read the reports from Noveria and Feros. You're doing fine for someone your age… and collecting your share of scars, if I may say so." He smiles, probably looking at the few scars still adorning my face, including the one going over my left eye and cheek. I've all but gotten used to the new eye now as well. It's practically as if I never lost the other in the first place. Only difference is that the new one can actually see pretty well in darkness. Emhart didn't mention that when he plugged it in.

Although I suppose it matters little when I'm wearing a helmet with both night-vision and a mounted flashlight. Still, it is a cool thing to have in reserve. Gods, I love cybernetics.

"Thank you sir." I say, nodding slightly as I give him a smile. Jane then takes over again, discussing with the old man how our presence will or won't interfere with his daily life. I've got the best job it seems. I've even got to guard him when he's taking a piss. Well, this will be interesting, if nothing else.

…

October 26th

Acturus

19:22

Anna Fisher, the feared and loved Admiral of the Systems Alliance, was walking down the hallway, seemingly in her own thoughts.

People seeing her would see a woman mumbling to herself, as if in a conversation only she could hear. And seeing as she had no earphones in, that had to be the truth.

Only it wasn't

"So, how did they like it?"

"The new armor? Well it's still in the test-phase, but it's based on the schematics you gave me, so it should be able to stand up to sustained fire from the geth, as well as heavy machineguns and light cannons. We've equipped it with stronger shields, of course, seeing as that was the only way we could improve it."

"Not the techs silly, the team. I hear you shipped a model to the Normandy's XO, Jane. You know, I had some fun spying on her while I was onboard." Kasumi said, walking next to the admiral while staying cloaked.

"Oh her? She liked it, I think. Haven't gotten any response from her yet, so I'm assuming she's testing it out currently. Why?"

"Oh just curious. I'm bringing the tech, so it'd look bad for me if it didn't work out." She said, smirking behind the cloaking.

"True… have anyone discovered you yet?" Anna asked, looking at where she knew the Japanese thief was walking.

"Hey, are you trying to insult me?"

"Not really. Trying would imply that it took effort. You are too touchy for your own good Kasumi. Have to learn to accept a few jabs and punches here and there… figuratively speaking."

"Maybe… I'll work on that." She said as they entered Anna's office overlooking the dry-docks. An office with windows. That was the best one could wish for, in Anna's opinion. Screw the leather seats. Windows was where it's at.

With a tired smile, Anna threw herself into a chair, took of her shoes and placed her feet on the desk in front of her. Locking the door, Kasumi uncloaked and retrieved a pair of soda-cans from the office's small fridge. They didn't have any Sake or wine, and Anna had emptied the entire fridge of beer when Kasumi told her about the code she carried around.

To say it had rustled her jimmies… would have been an understatement.

"So… what have you got for me today Kasumi?" She asked, looking at the thief while opening her can. Although disturbing as fuck, the idea of being able to 'retrieve' high-end tech from other universes just proved too big a temptation for Anna. She had hired Kasumi on the spot, having her tasked with bringing all sorts of odds and ends back to the Alliance. The council didn't know yet, but they didn't have to either, not yet at least.

Besides, Anna was sitting with the opportunity to bring the Alliance, and by extension humanity, in front of the galaxy in terms of power and advancement. They already had infantry-grade armor that outclassed anything the others had, bar the Krogan.

The gunships were still being measured against the Mantis, and the old model actually proved to have one advantage over the new LA/AT model: It could remain stationary for longer time, and required less warm-up time before it was ready for action.

The difference was less than six minutes, but that alone meant a difference worth noting. The issue with the LA/AT was that the engines were hauling a much heavier object, so they needed more power, and by extension more time, to pull it off.

Still, while the Mantis would be preserved in the role of in-atmosphere fights, the LA/AT, or 'flying fists' would replace them on the issue of fire-support, heavy-duty lifting, troop deployment and assaults on stationary targets on ground.

'Flying Fists'... Anna really needed a better name for them.

In short, the Mantis had just been downgraded to a light vehicle, while the Fist was a heavy-class of the same kind. In theory, it worked out brilliantly. In theory.

They had yet to actually use the new gunships in actual combat, so there was some uncertainty remaining. One could only learn so much from projected results and exercises. Still, the pilots were getting better at flying them, and she had already overseen the placement of the first seventy gunships on the Alliance Super-Carriers _SSV John Price_ and _SSV Firestorm_. They had had to scrap and tear down some walls and equipment between the hangars, but in the end effectiveness hadn't been reduced more than 0.2%, and the ships had been outfitted with the newest of the new in aircrafts.

Sadly, there wasn't enough time for a complete make-over of the fleets. If the time had been there, the armor of every single vessel from fighter and up to Dreadnought would have been replaced or reinforced with plastisteel, the new 'metal of tomorrow', as the techs had dubbed it. In reality, it was just a grown and fused version of a combination between the famous and widely used graphene, and new steel and titanium-alloys. Still, it held up against fire surprisingly well. The amount of fire that would have shredded the Silaris armor used on the Destiny Ascension, would break about ten minutes before the P-steel, as it had been dubbed. Ten minutes didn't seem like much at first, but in a stand-up fight between naval forces, that difference could determine the outcome of the battle.

It therefore pissed her off to no end that only about two-thousand fighters and a couple of cruisers had received the upgraded armor. It could mean the deaths of those without it.

The Japanese thief threw up a small pout, leaning back against the chair;

"_Yo dare_ (**Slaver**)… Fine, I did get something, but I received a pretty damn close haircut during my mission." Kasumi mumbled while fishing out a small object. It was a disk, not much bigger than those odd pods people used to fuzz over with a digital pet on them. It had been something of a hype when Anna was a kid, but had dissipated when stories aired about people killing themselves when their pets 'died'.

Taking the small disk in her hands, Anna turned it over and around, looking for text or something that would reveal its purpose. It was fairly nondescript really. Aside from a circular pane of glass-like material in the middle, there was nothing unusual to the disk. It could have been a child's toy for all Anna knew.

"What is it?" She asked, keeping it suspended against a lamp. Kasumi shook her head slowly.

"Honestly? I have no clue at all… but it was under heavy guard by guys wearing armor that made them two meters tall… it has to be pretty good for something, right?" She shrugged, drinking from her soda.

"Hmm… it looks like some kind of tech, maybe a USB-drive?" There were a series of small marks on the end of the disk, looking similar to a regular transportable drive.

"Well, try inserting it in a pc then. It doesn't fit in my Omni-tool…" She said, looking on while the admiral tried plugging it into her pc.

"Doesn't fit in a computer either… where exactly did you get this?" She asked, shooting a look at the thief. The woman just shrugged;

"In a room full of those things. We're talking long rows of them. I was on a station in orbit around a planet… oddly enough it looked like Earth, just with a lot of debris around it… like Saturn. It was one of the guards who almost caught me, swung a katana and tore my hood off… almost ruined both my hair and my cloaking device… good thing it was only the hair." She added, reaching up to feel under her new hood, a dark-red one. It looked a bit odd with the black suit, so she had changed that for a dark-brown one instead.

Anna shot her a disbelieving glance;

"Wait… you were spotted?" She asked, not believing what she heard. She could walk next to the woman, and not be able to see her. Somehow the guards had been, and had not taken kindly to the intrusion.

"And damn near shot too. Didn't even shout for me to stop, just fired at me… and now my hair smells of gunpowder…" She said, her face distorting as she smelled a handful of her black hair. Anna sniffed in too, then chuckled;

"What?" Kasumi asked with an annoyed stare.

"It's just… I was about to call security, to see if there was a fire somewhere. I'm sorry girl, I never thought someone would shoot with gunpowder at YOU. Or even shoot with gunpowder at all…" she said, then looked a bit more thoughtful;

"You… didn't get this thing from the same place as the P-steel, did you?"

"Nope… I don't really control where I end up, as much as I'd like. Most times, it all works out, but this time I ended up almost being gorged by a super-sized turian with a plasma-sword… and that was _before_ I got to the station… I need a raise… and a shower." She remarked, looking at the admiral with a tired pair of eyes.

"Tell you what… I want the weapons this armor was designed to withstand. And I mean the ship-grade ones, not gunship-beams or riffles. I'm talking the kinds you put on a warship, like a damn repeating cannon, not a beam. I need something that will punch the baddie's guts out through their asses, not just cut their skin open… get me that, and you get a raise." She replied with a smile. Anna had access to unlimited stocks of unknown tech, and as sure as the Devil himself was afraid of her, she would not waste her chance with it.

"Baka… You are a tough nut boss…" Kasumi replied with a smile of her own. She then cloaked, emptied the can of soda and tossed it in the garbage bin. To Anna, it looked like a ghost drinking the soda, but instead of the horror others would have shown, she just laughed at the scene.

With her own supplier of God-like tech, she was a very happy woman. Screw the fact that she was sixty-four, she felt like forty all over again.

"Now…" she mumbled, looking back at the small disk; "What secrets to you hold… and how are you important enough to warrant the guarding of two meter tall soldiers?" She asked herself as she leaned back in her chair with the disk, watching as the light was reflected in it.

Totally unaware of the sentience starring back at her in return.

…

October 27th

Elysium, Illyria

13:15

Alliance Marines lieutenant Zaeed Massani had it, as they said, made. He was fifty-one, stationed and lived on the outskirts of Illyria, the capital of Elysium, and had a hot date approaching in a month, with an old flame of his. Granted, she was thirteen years older than him, but damn did she look, move and fuck as a woman still in her forties. He often wondered what an officer of her grade saw in him, but maybe it was that she liked dangerous and mysterious men. Without really thinking about it, he moved a hand to touch his scars on the right side of his face.

He had faced off against his former friend and colleague Vido Santiago, almost twenty years ago, and had been hell-bent on revenge ever since. At least, that had been until she came into his life, about five years ago.

He had been offered a spot back in the Alliance, a spot under her command, and a spot in her bed. He had accepted numbers one and three, but he preferred to be the one in charge, not on a leash.

And so far, he had proven to deserve it.

He had taken part in a number of campaigns, mainly against slavers, pirates and smugglers. His biggest mission to date, had been on some volcanic planet, whose name he had forgotten. Blowing a nuclear plant to hell and executing two-hundred slavers afterwards… that had been a good week. Even though much of it had been spent crouched or prone in muck, lying in ambush and grapping unsuspecting Batarians and Vorcha, Krogan and even the occasional Varren, when he and his men were hungry.

All the captives were given the same treatment. A knife though the throat… or under the crest-plate, if that wasn't enough.

"Massani, sir." A young voice barked out, alerting the lieutenant to the presence of his adjutant, a corporal by the name of Sam Tennyson. Good kid, good sense of right and wrong, but possessed a bit too romantic a view of war and the navy.

He was short-cut, like all the rest, with brown eyes and a tanned complexion. Not very tall, but not low either. All in all, he was your average soldier or marine, give or take a few kills and years in service.

Zaeed dragged his feet from the table, a habit he had picked up from his time in the Blue Suns, and stood to salute the young man, no more than twenty-seven. In Zaeed's book, that made him a greeny, a youngster, someone untested by fire. He thought that way of everyone until they proved him wrong.

God did he love it when they proved him wrong.

"Corporal Tennyson. As you were." He said, his old and scarred voice matching his face. It was something that had made him an instant magnet to the younger of the division . He looked like the ideal image of a hardened veteran, and everyone hoped to either pick up some hints, or simply hear him retell one of his stories.

Age and rank didn't matter, they all admired him. He was even asked for advice by the higher-ups from time to time, but that was when shit really hit the fan. Something which, thankfully, hadn't happened in almost three years.

There had been an incident at the docks back then, where a bunch of Batarians, Blue Suns even, had threatened to activate a bomb placed on the docks if they weren't given an insane amount of credits. Back then Zaeed had only been a sergeant, but he had snuck in, killed the entire group by burning them alive with an industrial flamethrower, before disarming the bomb himself.

That had been his last day as a sergeant.

"Sir, scans are reporting some unusual activity at the relay. Unscheduled vessels are pouring through. They haven't hailed the planet yet, and Command wants you in the HQ five minutes ago." The man said, clearly nervous about something.

"Fine, let's go see if the Migrant Fleet has gotten itself lost again… wouldn't surprise me one bit…" He mumbled as he picked up his sidearm from the desk, put on his regular hard-suit, and stomped both feet into their respective boot. He then drew a cigar, was about to light it but then thought better of it and tucked it into his chest-pocket. There were a few advantages of being an officer. A hard-suit with chest-pockets was one of them. Another was being allowed to smoke indoors.

The vehicle in question was one of Zaeed's favorites in the military. The P2171-ATAC, or Patac for short, was a standard-issue military-grade jeep. It had a top speed of 170kph, a mounted heavy machinegun, and was strong enough to carry a half ton of cargo, or ten extra personnel, in theory. Massani had yet to be able to fit ten men on it, and didn't actually care to try either.

HQ, or just the military installation's tactical headquarters, was a good ten minutes' drive away from his office, and as he sat in the Jeep, looking at the city's occasional sky-scraper, he smiled, observing how the sun's rays were sent back from their glass-walls, glittering like diamonds.

It was Goddamn beautiful.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Zaeed entered the installation's HQ, and went straight for the war-room, as they had dubbed it. The reason? It looked like an exact copy of the old war-room under the Pentagon on Earth, as it was before it was leveled in the nuclear terror-attack in 2107.

"Alright ladies, what've got?" He barked out, making even those of higher rank turn to watch. Zaeed carried the authority of a colonel, but had refused the promotions and the things that followed them. When asked why, he had simply answered that higher rank would mean more time behind a desk, and less behind a big-ass gun.

As he approached the large holographic image of the system in the middle of the room, he noticed hundreds of contacts headed straight for Elysium. The others around the table looked on as he walked around the image, rubbing his bare chin with his right hand while keeping the other behind his back.

"Sir, about a hundred contacts are headed for us. We can't get a ping on them, and they are too far away to use the LADAR yet." One of the techs around the table answered.

"Yeah I can see that. I mean what do we know that _I_ can't see yet? Who are they, what sort of weapons and ships, how long till they reach us? That sort of things." He growled while noting which people shrank under his presence. There wasn't a better way to determine who was fit at their jobs, than giving them a little stress-course.

"Contacts are still outside our effective scans, but so far none are below frigate-class." One of the ensigns at the screens answered, drawing a thin smile from the scarred veteran. It spoke well for the lowers when they would interrupt incompetent higher-ups.

"What's your name lass?" He asked the young woman at the screens.

"Traynor, sir. Comms and scans specialist of second class." The woman replied. Zaeed couldn't place her ethnicity, but her accent said American, South-states to be exact.

"First name I mean?" He asked, taking his time. Most others would be, and probably were, furious at his wasting of time when unknown contacts approached the colony.

"Amber, Sir."

"Alright Amber, see if you can't get some communication working this time… because I of course _assume_ that you incompetent sods have tried contacting them already, right?" He asked the assembled crowd.

None spoke.

"Jesus Christ! What is this? Pre-school?" He shouted at the other before getting back to Traynor. She had used the time he spent shouting to establish a link to the incoming ships, using the comm-buoy near the relay.

"Alright Amber, let me have a look at our guests." He said, gesturing for her to activate the comms and screens. It took the system a few seconds to power up. To Zaeed, that proved his suspicion.

The fuckers hadn't even _tried_ contacting the incomings.

"This is Lieutenant Zaeed Massani of the 473th, Elysium. Identify yourselves; your ships don't match to our systems." He demanded off the screens while the images changed from fussy, to the image of a person he had silently prayed would show up on his door-step ever since the new tech had been launched from the assembly lines. Just so that he could show off his new toys.

"This is Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema of the Quarian Migrant Fleet. We're here with peaceful goals and… Zaeed? Damn the Ancestors, it really is you!" The Quarian admiral laughed, having remembered and recognized Zaeed after his introduction.

"Gerrel, you mad war hound! Still the same pissed-off Turian scarecrow I hear." Zaeed replied with a smile. Han'Gerrel and he had met on a joint Alliance/Migrant Fleet mission, when he had been attached to the Far-seekers, the Quarian version of the N7. Gerrel had since spent his time harassing outlaws and the like on the borders of Turian space.

To the great annoyance of the Turians.

Apparently, they didn't like it when others pursued slavers into their space, and had often defended the slavers under the excuse that they were theirs to 'arrest'. In reality, the same thing happened though. If the Quarians were deterred, the Turians would blow up the slavers themselves. It was just that Han enjoyed chasing down Batarians and Blood Pack ships too much to just let them go when they crossed the borders.

"You know it. But we can discuss the rest when we touch down." The Admiral replied, grinning under his mask. Zaed scratched his chin at this;

"Right… why are you here though? I was expecting a detachment from the Alliance to show up with our new def-tech… not the Migrant Fleet on my door-step." It wasn't an unfriendly tone, but Zaeed was curious. Elysium rarely got visited by the Fleet, even though it was widely known that human colonies were the friendliest to Quarians.

"You've been out of the loop for too long then, you old bosh'ted. Project Star killer is a joint effort between the Fleet and the Alliance. We're here to deliver the merchandise… or aren't you interested at all?" Damn that Gerrel, he had always known just which of Zaeed's buttons to push for effect.

"A joint effort? Well shit, every day is a school day!" He smiled, then looked to the rest of the officers and general crowd in the room; "Well, what the fuck are you waiting for? Give'em the goddamn clearance before the ODP's shoot'em to shreds!" He barked, then returned to the screen.

"We're good to land?"

"Sure, come on down. I still have that Levo/Dextro Whiskey. The 'Good' one, you know?" He asked the Quarian with a smirk on his scarred face.

"Heh, yeah I read you. Gerrel out." Zaeed pushed himself back from the consoles and gave Traynor a nod;

"What did you say your rank was Amber?" He asked with a smile.

"C/S specialist second class, Sir. Why?"

"Scratch that, you're first class now. Collect your new paycheck at Dep. when you get the day of." He mumbled with a rough smile.

Making the smile disappear and turn into a frown, he turned back to the people behind him.

"Now, who do I have kick in the balls to actually get officers as good as a fucking C/S specialist? I swear, it's things like this that make me consider taking that fucking promotion. This place needs better officers!" He barked, and even those above him, such as Captain Reynolds and Norton, recoiled slightly at his words.

_Norton…_ that old-school captain was one of the few standing up to Zaeed, and the old former mercenary both hated and respected the man for it.

Respected him for it, because even colonels were swayed by Massani's words and orders. Norton was one of the few who looked Zaeed in the face and reminded him of ranks and the chain of command.

And hated him for it. Because Robert Norton, captain of the SSV Eudora, was one hell of a, as Gerrel often put it, _Stinking suit-wetter. _Whenever it came to real life decisions and actions, the man would be gripped by nervousness and often be on the verge of suicidal and stupid orders. Such as letting his fighters launch, then he would prepare to retreat to beyond the range of enemy fighters and by extension, his own as well.

A couple of hours later, the flotilla of a few hundred ships, all of them Migrant Fleet labeled, in order to prevent the systems in orbit from turning them into modern art, landed in the space-port outside the city. Zaeed stood with his lit cigar in mouth, enjoying the taste of the Havana as he watched the ships touch down on the pads.

Most of them were freighters, converted from frigates or old turian models. About one fourth were escort-ships, frigates and heavy cruisers. All of them were in what Quarians called "Pristine condition". Which was what most others called "ready for a serious overhaul".

Still, he supposed they did their best to fit the role of whatever part of the project they had. Zaeed liked the bottle-heads, as he called them in jest, but he had difficulty seeing how they could help in a project. They barely had the resources to keep their ships floating and avoid them falling apart when passing through the relays.

He watched as the lead ship, a frigate twice the size of the others, yet still with the tell-tale shape of the regular Quarian ship, the ring and extended column, docked with the colony's new tether-station. It was just a few clicks outside the city's borders, in case the whole thing should drop, and avoid hitting anyone beneath it.

For obvious reasons, the Admiral's ship couldn't dock like the rest. In short, it was due to the mass of his ship. If he had tried, he would most likely had burned up in atmo, or blown to hell when his engines overloaded. Now, Zaeed watched the screens in front of him, showing the ramps open up on the different ships, as well as the elevator in the long cable headed down from orbit to the ground.

"Crazy Japs…" He muttered through his cigar. A few decades back, the Japanese science-division had proposed and demonstrated the first orbital tether-station on Mars. It had been a flop, but the year after, an American group had demonstrated a working prototype, and received all sorts of rewards and honors.

It didn't make matters less exciting when it was discovered that they had sabotaged the Japanese's demonstration, and stolen the tech for themselves. The Japs were given the credit, and the American group was fined and humiliated.

"Han-Fucking-Gerrel. How dare you show yourself here on my planet after what you did to me?" Zaeed growled as the Quarian admiral stepped out from the elevator, flanked by a couple of Far Seekers. Both of them armed to the teeth. They showed anxiousness when the human officer approached their superior with a hostile face.

However, the admiral waved them down;

"Why, if it isn't Zaeed-five-shots-short-Massani. Still the same old grumpy bosh'ted I see." He replied, holding a three-digited hand out to the man. Zaeed's face turned from pissed to a warm smile, and he shook the hand;

"Han, you old bugger. How the hell have you been?" He said, clasping the admiral's shoulders in an almost brotherly embrace. The onlookers, both the human and Quarian marines, were not sure what to make of the scene in front of them.

"You know. Blown up some geth here, killed some slavers there, the usual." Gerrel answered, electing a harsh laugh from the scarred human.

"I bet. Now, why don't you let your people unload… whatever the hell they are unloading, and the two of us can hit the bar. I've had the bartender prepare the bottle for us." Zaeed said, giving the admiral an 'I dare you' look.

"You're shitting me? You're actually up for a rematch? Heh, should have brought Rael, he would have knocked you on your ass for trying to get me drunk… again."

"Yeah well, Rael ain't here. Which means you can let loose for once. Now, I'll have you know I have been practicing since the last time." Zaed snared at the admiral as they walked to the Patac waiting for them.

"What, still trying to top me?" Gerrel asked with amusement in his voice as they entered the jeep. Zaeed just gave him a scowl;

"Fucking glass-head. You and your goddamn organs. It's fucking cheating that you can take twice the amount of alcohol that a human can." He growled, steering the car out on the highway. One of the advantages of having a ground-bound vehicle, was that with the air-cars being cheaper, you practically had the road to yourself. The occasional Grizzly battle tank shared the road with them, but otherwise they were alone.

"Say what you want Massani. You will still end up being the one to pay the tab." Gerrel laughed and punched the man's shoulder as they headed for the city's military installation.

To Han'Gerrel, this was just his kind of R&R. He didn't have to waste time on a beach on some overcrowded tourist getaway, and he didn't have to be stuck in traffic, or listening to Shala going on about how irresponsible he was when he chased slavers to hell and back. Also he enjoyed cutting loose and drinking himself stupid with his longtime friend Zaeed Massani.

"So, how are things on the Fleet? What exactly is this Quarian part of the project you mentioned? Seems to me you guys hardly have the hardware to keep your shit together, let alone lend humanity a helping hand." Gerrel scoffed at his remark, but didn't take offence at it. It had been hammered down since the second he met Massani, that even though the human often used slurs such as 'Jar-head', 'Bottle-head' and 'stuffy', it was meant in good spirit. Also he cursed worse than Rael when a geth had shot him in the ass.

"We get by. We're getting a ton of resources from the project, and we're supplying your techs with our specialist in shipbuilding and engineering. Not saying that you humans don't know your stuff, but we survive because we're among the best. Rael is all over some new project that'll help us retake the Homeworld at some point, but honestly… the way he refuses to speak about it creeps me out a bit… like he's hiding something from me, from the fleet…"

"No shit?" Zaeed asked with a cocked eyebrow, keeping his artificial eye on the road. It crept some people out when he did it, parted his eyes like that. But he had never given a damn.

"No shit."

"Doesn't he have a daughter, ehm… Tali, was it?" Zaeed asked, trying to change the subject to more happy areas.

"He does. She's twenty-three human years now, and is spending her pilgrimage serving on a Systems Alliance ship. The SSV Normandy."

"Right, that was the one… wait, isn't that one commanded by another Quarian?" Zaeed asked as they passed an Apocalypse battle tank. The huge tank was the ground-bound off-spring of the Grizzly, different from the Mako in more ways than weight.

The Apocalypse was, true to its name, twice the size of a Grizzly tank and spelled doom for anyone challenging it. Instead of wheels, it sported treads, like the ones used by the early tanks in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It resulted in lower top-speed, but it could traverse steeper sloped than the Grizzly, and take more of a beating than the Mako. Also, instead of the regular single cannon and coaxial machinegun, it sported dual-barrels, each firing 120mm shells of explosive rounds. If anything got in the way, be it a Grizzly or a bunker, the tank would simply punch through it without much effort.

The crew, busy repairing and maintaining the tank, sent a quick glance after the Jeep as it roared past them. They could only catch a blur of the Lieutenant's black and yellow hardsuit, and what looked like someone dressed in pink, of all colors.

"John'Shepard vas Normandy nar Rayya. He's the pride of the Rayya, and Rael never shuts up about those two being out there, saving the galaxy. Hell, I think he expects them to come back as bonded." Gerrel explained to the human while they drove though a check-point.

"Bon- you mean like married?" Zaeed exclaimed, almost crashing the car into the fence along the road.

"I know, I know. But Rael seems sure those two are meant for each other and… well… I incline to agree. They were close before the kidnapping." Gerrel explained, causing Zaeed to almost throw the car off the road.

"KIDNAPPING?! Who the fuck dared kidnap Tali? Point me to 'em, I swear they'll suffer!" He sneered. What he remembered of Tali was a vid of a kid toying around in a hamster ball, examining and discovering the world around her. All the while her mother was cooing at the ball and Rael had been recording the whole thing. If anyone dared harm that precious girl, he would decorate his office with their intestines.

"Not Tali, although she nearly was captured as well… It was John'Shepard who was grabbed. We found out later that it was Cerberus who did it."

"Goddammit…" Zaeed muttered, not looking at his friend while he listened.

"He turned up on Mindoir the very day it was raided by Batarian slavers, and then enlisted in the Alliance Marines to help defend the colony. From there he, as far as I have been informed, joined them on a mission to Akuze." Han'Gerrel continued, looking for a reaction from the scarred man next to him.

"Wait a second… Akuze? Wasn't that where-"

"Where fifty Alliance Marines were killed by Tresher Maws? Yes. Shepard was the only survivor. He never returned to the Fleet. I think he considers his pilgrimage started, ever since the incident with Cerberus." Han sighed, looking at the horizon turning a shade of red as the sun set on it. You didn't get these sights on the Fleet, and he knew those who had volunteered to freight the wares from Acturus, had mainly done so for this very sight.

"Hell, that's one way to start your travel to the galaxy. 'Hey dad, how did your pilgrimage start?' I can imagine his kid asking one day. 'Ah yes son. You see, I was brutally kidnapped by Cerberus and experimented on. Then, I escaped and butchered them all.' Now that, that would be one hell of a story for the grand-kids." Zaeed chuckled, leaning back with one hand on the wheel.

"About that. Zaeed, you're older these days… well, in Quarian years you are. Haven't you thought of finding someone to bond with?" Gerrel asked with a slight jab in the side.

"Careful, I'm armed." The man grunted back, then smiled wryly; "Well… there is this one flame in my life… well, flamethrower is more like it actually." He admitted, not moving his hands from the Carnifex in his belt. If Gerrel started making fun of him, he would put a slug in his balls.

"Oh? Details, come on. What does she looks like? Her hair-color? What's her name? Details here. Admiral's orders." Gerrel teased. He could never behave this way around his colleagues, but with Zaeed, he could really just let loose.

"Watch it… she is about ten… no, thirteen years older than me. Has hair the color of roses with streaks of silver. Her figure… does she ever look like a forty year old. She behaves like a goddamn teen at times, and has the… energy, of one as well. If you catch my drift?" He said, sending the admiral a smug look.

"Can't wait to meet her. What's her name?" Gerrel almost jumped in his seat at the prospect of meeting Zaeed's soul-mate. Whoever could get the old monster to settle down, had to be an imposing figure, or at the very least, a devil in the sheets.

"Anna Fisher" He said, and the Quarian could easily spot the blood rushing to his comrade's cheeks.

…

SSV Normandy, Sparta system, Artemis Tau

Having dropped off the Mako on the surface of Edolus, the Normandy quickly rose back up into atmosphere. Inside the cramped vehicle, John'Shepard was leading the mission of discovering the fate of the team of marines sent as a response to a distress beacon on the planet's surface, only two clicks north from the drop point.

Edolus, in all its glory, was a terrestrial world that made Tuchanka look like a pleasant place to stay. The atmosphere was mainly nitrogen, and the ground was dry enough to fly like dust when the wheels of the light tank rolled over it. There was neither plant nor animal-life to be seen, and the entire place echoed the sound of the rolling tank. Aside from that, the place was deader than dead.

"For God's sake Shepard, there isn't even anything to maneuver around!" Kaidan shouted from the passenger's seat of the vehicle. In the tank were Kaidan, Tequila, Garrus and Fixer. The latter still had something of a bad mood, and had not talked much since the ceremony and the hospitalization of Scorch. Despite the team's efforts to cheer him up.

The reason for Kaidan's pleading was the fact that their driver was tossing the vehicle left and right, seemingly unable to handle the sensitive controls. If Kaidan had been John's superior, he would have ordered him from the front, and taken over himself.

As it was now, he could only pray they wouldn't end up with the roof of the tank on the ground… again.

"Sorry, this thing is a bit sensitive. I just need to get a feeling for it." The commander called back. Behind his mask, John'Shepard was grinning like a child who had just gotten away with stealing a cookie. Driving the Mako, and Kaidan mad, was about the only thing he got to do for fun.

"Just keep it steady and steer around the hiiiiiiiiils!" Garrus said as John suddenly decided that a 70% rise wasn't too much for the Mako, and drove right at it, causing everyone inside to fall to the back, and Tequila to utter a string of curses he was glad the translator didn't pick up. Humans sure had a lot of swear-words.

And, as sudden as the rise had started, it ended. Though, before the crew could get to their seats again, John hit the throttle, and sent the tank flying over the edge of the small mountain they were seated on, plunging towards the surface, more than three-hundred meters below.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE! HOLY FUCK WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Fixer screamed from his seat. He was the one seated furthest behind in the tank, and as such he was being crushed by the others as they tumbled backwards in the narrow room.

John didn't hear any of this. He was screaming his lunges out with joy and adrenaline as the vehicle was less than fifty meters above ground. Stepping a foot on the pedal for the thrusters, Shepard threw his arms in the air, touching the roof while the thrusters slowed down the descent.

As the vehicle slammed into the ground, curses and swears from more than five different languages, including Russian, Hispanic and Turian, filled the tank. Those John_ did_ understand, concerted around his heritage, and how many Elcor he had humped in his time. One he didn't understand sounded somewhere along the lines of: '_Follando piloto de mierda!_' It was the Corporal who screamed it out while having to be restrained by Garrus to prevent her from tearing off the commander's mask.

He had no idea what it meant, and for the moment he didn't give it much thought as he suddenly spotted a few dots on the ground, about five hundred meters away. Driving closer, he first recognized the shape of a beacon, the sort that was launched from a ship.

The next thing he saw, made his innards turn.

Now only a hundred meters in front of him, he could clearly see the bodies of at least seven humanoid individuals, strewn over the ground around the wreckage of a badly damaged Grizzly.

"Okay people, we're here. Disembark and scan the surrounding area. Be on your guards, I don't feel like attending a new funeral this soon." He ordered as he stopped the tank about ten meters out from the first body.

Tequila was the first one out, kissing the ground through her helmet as she fell on her knees. She was soon joined by Garrus, but instead of kissing the ground, he inhaled, held his breath and removed his helmet to throw up.

As soon as he had unleashed a stream of bile, the Turian smashed his helmet back on, securing the clamps before a small portion of puke followed the first one, smearing the inside of his helmet. Kaidan had to turn his audio-receptors down in the team-comm as the turian unleashed a torrent of oaths and curses.

For a Turian, Garrus was highly unprofessional at the moment.

"Now, let's have a look at what we're dealing with here…" the commander said, walking towards the first body in a brisk pace. Apparently, the only person not to hear John's advice… was John himself.

As the squad got themselves together and marched after the Quarian commander, none of them felt the slight shift in the sand as movement underneath them took place.

"Commander, looks like burn marks, severe ones at that and chemical in nature… also, removed limps. There is no sign of bullet holes in neither the tank nor the men… I'd say whatever did this got up close and personal… and why is there a beacon here? There's no ship, no shuttle crashed and waiting for help… this doesn't feel right…" Kaidan remarked, looking at the half-dissolved body of a female marine, her body gone beneath her waist.

She had been torn in half, then burned and dissolved by some unknown opponent. Whatever had done it, had left a look of pure horror in her eyes as she stared into the sky, dry tears running from her eyes.

"By the Force… I thought I'd seen it all… but… this?" Fixer weakly stated as he knelt down next to Kaidan's half woman.

The sight was so disgusting, none of the team realized their commander was curled up on the ground in front of one of the marines, this one sporting a plate-sized hole through his chest, as well as missing the right part of his entire body.

For John'Shepard, this was relieving a nightmare from his past, one he had spent hours in therapy with Chakwas in order to get rid of. He could see the haunted faces of his comrades again, floating in the air before him, following him wherever his eyes went.

He could see before him, as clear as was it actually happening, the scene that had played out that fateful day, four years ago. He could see in the faces of the marines, the suffering and the fear they had been subjugated to before they died.

He could hear the slithering roars of the insectoid creatures as they burst from the sands of Akuze, snapping a shuttle from the air while the marines were screaming for God to help them. But no help came.

"N-no… no… have to… no… had to flee… fight… fight futile… no… flee…." He ranted, and the others finally took notice, approaching him with slow steps.

"Commander?" One of them asked. He couldn't hear who it was.

"I… told them… not my fault… not my fault… had to flee… couldn't kill… had to flee…"

"Shepard, what's wrong with you?" Garrus asked. The flanged voice made it easier to distinguish him from the others.

"Had to flee… I couldn't do… had to flee… was dragged down… Toombs… killed… had to flee…James... so many…" He ranted on, to the greater and greater discomfort of the team. This was a first for them all, seeing their commander like this.

"Shepard, get it together!" Tequila snapped at him, picking him up and delivering a smack to his helmet.

"I…I… fled… they died… killed them… I killed them… I see them… I…I… they are coming, they are hungry… run." He muttered the last words, just as a wake of sand trembled around the site, causing the damaged tank to topple over, bending its gun to an unfunctional angle.

"What… was… that?" Fixer muttered as he followed the wave of dirt and sand moving towards them. The eyes of the rest of the team followed as well, locking on to the moving earth.

"I don't know, but I don't want to be in its path. MOVE!" Tequila shouted, grabbing the Commander and sprinting to the side. And not a moment too late.

Where the squad had been just moments before, a pillar of dirt and dust erupted, leading the thoughts to a geyser. Then came the shrill shrieks. The terrible high-pitched roars that followed the massive creature that erupted from the ground.

"THRESHER!" Kaidan shouted, turning to run for the Mako the second he recognized the creature. The entire group, including the corporal dragging the stunned commander, were hauling ass back to the tank. No one stopped to look back as they each used every single ounce of energy they had to reach the safety of the vehicle, with Kaidan already climbing inside.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck¸ fuck, fuck, fuck, FUUUUCK!" Fixer cursed with each leap. He was, despite being the most heavily armored, the fastest runner in the group. No one stopped to consider where he had learned the word, given that Sev had once told them it didn't exist in their language.

It didn't really matter as much as escaping the towering insect, currently in the process of diving back in the ground.

"Alenko! Get on the turret!" Garrus shouted. No one stopped to point out the fact that Garrus couldn't order around Alenko. Given the situation, the human biotic was already in the process of manning it as Fixer climbed in and took the wheel.

As the last of the team climbed in and shut the hatch closed, the tank was suddenly lifted into the air by massive head of the predator, intend on crushing them between its jaws.

"Fixer! Get us the fuck out of here!" Tequila screamed while hanging on to her seat, currently fastened to what had become the ceiling as the vehicle was spun through the air.

"Shut the fuck up! I'm trying!" The clone screamed back, almost breaking the controls as he pulled and pushed handles and buttons in an attempt to free the tank from the jaws of the huge creature. Finally, he slammed down on the thrusters, causing the Mako to spew jets of fire into the mouth of the Thresher Maw.

The screams of feral agony were accompanied with a new feeling of weightlessness as the creature spat the vehicle out and buried itself back into the ground for a new attack.

The second the Mako was on the ground, Fixer gunned the controls, sending the Mako forward across the dunes with more than 150kph. More than enough to escape the predator, and a terrible waste of fuel. No one argued however, and soon they were parked at the top of one of the mountains nearby, not wanting to remain on the ground for a second longer than it took to get off it.

As the panic and surge of adrenaline slowly fell to a normal level, the occupants of the car slowly turned their eyes to their Quarian commander.

John was currently sobbing like a small kid, ranting on about him failing his comrades and friends, how they had all been killed because of him, how he had abandoned them when he made a run for the solid ground of the colony.

"Santé Maria! Shepard, what the hell was that back there? What was that creature and why did you just freeze up like that? I mean fuck, come on! You've never frozen like that before. Not even when we went to find Scorch and you faced a fucking giant bug!" Tequila snapped, causing John to recoil in fear.

Garrus placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to calm down. He then went to pick up the commander, gently placing him in a seat and strapping him in so that he wouldn't fall when they started the Mako. The turian then turned back to Tequila, the corporal looking ready to tear something apart with her bare hands. Fear was still clear in her eyes.

"I think I'd better answer that one Aquila…" Garrus said, sitting down next to her as Fixer called the Normandy for pickup.

"Sorry about… I just… I've never seen… what was that thing?" She muttered, looking at the Turian with some newfound fondness. He didn't look pissed or startled at all, even after her outburst. Maybe Garrus wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"It's okay, everyone reacts the same way to those things…" He said, giving her the turian version of a weak smile; "What we just saw, what just almost ate us, was a thresher maw. They are a species of highly hostile and lethal predators that ambush their prey from underground, then pull the unlucky souls under or dissolve them with acid… like the marines we found down there… they breed by spores, and in that way they can spread on over hundreds of worlds. They can survive just about… well, anything nature throws at them really, and their jaws can crush a tank… as for what happened to Shepard.." He muttered, looking at the commander, slowly rocking in place in his seat; "…I have no idea… maybe he's seen Thresher Maws before, though I've never heard of them attacking Quarians…" He admitted, giving her a sad look.

It was Kaidan who filled in there; "I think I know… Some years ago, a detachment of fifty marines were killed on Akuze, slaughtered by thresher maws. From what I have heard, the single survivor… was a Quarian." He stated, looking at the commander who hadn't stopped rocking in place.

"You mean… the incident on Akuze... Shepard was the surviving Quarian?" Garrus asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

"It's just a guess… but yeah." Kaidan shrugged, sagging down in his seat. Meanwhile, Fixer had turned around in his seat, listening in to most of the conversation.

"The Normandy is en route. ETA two minutes. If the pilot makes a joke about this, can I kill him?" He asked in all seriousness, causing Tequila to flash a weak smile;

"No… because I am." She stated, losing her smile again as she looked at her commander again._ Girl, what kind of shit have you gotten yourself into now?_ She thought weakly as the hum of ship-engines sounded in the distance.

* * *

**Well... That wasn't the best way to end a mission... PTSD and survivors's guilt can be a real son-of-a-bitch.**

**I will say this in advance: By the time of ME2, which is 2184, we will have a humanity that can be described as fairly OP. Bear with me, but it's time we picked up the Matle, so to speak.**

**There isn't really much else to say, other than asking you guys and girls to leave me a review for what you thought of this chapter.**

**Also, I have hidden two referrences to Captains in badass games in this chapter... okay, not hidden, but you would have to know the game to find them.**

**Also, what could Anna have gotten her fingers on this time around? Well, except for Zaeed XD**

**Till next time**


	35. Checkmate Tim

**A/N:**

**Well, this is a first. I wrote this entire chapter in ONE day. I have to admit, a good part of it wrote itself due to some... personal desires. Seriously, i have been waiting for this pne for quite some time.**

**Anyway, a lot of you have been guessing just what and where Anna's disk is from, and what it is. I am not going to tell, but some of you guessed it. You know who you are. **

**Just know, that I only write this fast when I'm being crowded by good reviews... and damn if the reviews from chapter 34 weren't good. Most was pure love for Zaeed, a love I fully share, the dude is badass incarnated!**

**Well, on to the story :D**

* * *

Checkmate Tim

October 27th

Admiral Kahoku's apartment, the Citadel

20:11

For an assignment that should be full of danger and action, this has to be the most boring thing I've done here so far. Nothing, and I press on the word _Nothing_, has happened so far. We have followed Kahoku around like chickens after the farmer, and absolutely nada has transpired.

At least the old man is one hell of a story-teller. He's been in more raids and campaigns than anyone I can think of, bar Hackett of course. He's also quite the charmer, and behaves more like a grandfather than an admiral when he isn't on duty, which is at the moment the case.

Currently, Liara and Jane are keeping watch at the door to his home-away-from-home here on the station, and I'm sitting in one of the apartment's chairs, pistol and sword out. I have to admit, as excessive as it seemed to have a sword on me, just two days ago, it makes sense. In a weird meaning of the word that is. While a gun would impact and drain on someone's kinetic barrier, the sword is too slow to activate it, and would pass right through it and skewer the bastard on the other end of it.

A thing that can make me smile a bit is that the sword is nearly impossible to lift with my right arm. I'm not sure what it is actually made of, but it weighs at least fifty-kilos. Granted, it is thicker than any other sword I've ever seen, and with a meter in length, I have no problem imagining that it would be heavier than other swords… but this is just ridiculous.

Still, that's where the synthetic arm comes into play. With that, lifting and swinging the sword is literally Childs play. I only have one problem with it: Using a sword means taking someone's life.

It's not that I haven't killed before now. I've killed Varren, Xenos and those zombie-things on Feros. Even Asari-clones… but the thought of having to look someone in the eye or hearing their screams or pain when I gut them… I suppose it has to happen at some point. It doesn't make it easier though, thinking about the person's life, his or her family, loved ones and friends… I know Cerberus assassins probably don't have a lot of that, but they are still human beings.

"_You shouldn't try to cross that bridge until you get there…"_

"_Fuck of! I'm still pissed at you Roku!"_

"_For what? I helped avoid your first time together turning into an awkward scene and a horrible memory. Even if you aren't thankful, at least stop being pissed."_

"_Doesn't matter now… I am not going to tell Ash what you did, but I swear to the gods: If you had any bones, I would have broken them the second you told me."_

"_Well then I suppose it is good that I do not possess a body outside yours."_

Sometimes… That perverted ass can't see why I'm pissed? Fine, I'll just ignore him then. Shouldn't be that hard.

The sound of flushing water brings me back to reality, and I run a quick check over the apartment as the admiral exits the loo.

The entire place has been reinforced with steel-framed armored glass, with plates that can be lowered over them in seconds to prevent a sniper from offing him from the outside. The tables and chairs have all been nailed to the floor to prevent them from being used as weapons, and the doors have been reinforced with titanium. Even the door to the loo is now made from solid steel, in case he would have to hide out there.

I have to admit: When Jane says she will procure some help with Kahoku's safety, she's not fucking around.

"Well Thomas, I trust everything is in order?" Kahoku asks as he shuts the door behind him, stretching in front of me. For an old guy like him, he's fit as hell. I mean it: Kahoku has the body of a wrestler underneath his uniform. I suppose that comes with being in the navy… but this guy… I wonder who would kick who's ass: Him or Wrex. I'm not even joking. I'd hate to be the assassin caught in a fist-fight with Kahoku.

I rise up from the chair and snap to a salute;

"Yes sir. The apartment is as secure as it gets. Nothing short of a cruiser could penetrate those windows, and we have the door locked up tight. Anyone trying to get in that way would face two biotics and both in almost impenetrable armor. I'd like to see Cerberus get to you now." I say, brandishing my sword; "Especially because I have a few bones to pick with them over my commander." I can't keep the sneer from my voice.

Miranda fucking lied to me. She told me she didn't know anything about John's abduction, and that she had nothing to do with it either. Hell, for all I know, she was in charge of the whole thing. The only reason I haven't told the brass about Zeus Station, is because I think that's where Lazarus takes place in the future. I won't risk that until we've been past Alchera. When we've either escaped or destroyed the Collectors in Nuclear fire, then I'll be sure to give the Alliance the info on the station.

But if I meet Miranda again… Oriana will be an only-child very fast.

"Good. You know son, I appreciate what you are doing here, but do you know if there has been any news from Edolus? I cannot help but worry about my men, and I know you worry about someone on the Normandy as well." He says, ending his sentence with a small smile. My face gets a little hotter, but not from embarrassment. He's talking about Ash, the feeling is just a warm feeling of happiness and some worry. Nicolai promised to take care of her, but even he isn't capable of keeping both of them alive if the shit really hits the fan. I just hope she's with Shepard.

"No sir. I haven't heard anything yet… maybe Jane has?" I suggest, trying to keep a happy face on. Still, the prospect of facing down Cerberus assassins and constantly fearing that the Normandy will come back one Williams shorter… keeping a happy face is difficult.

"Well, let's go ask her the shall we?" He says, and before I can object, he's at the door, tapping in the code to unlock it. In the end, he has supreme authority here, so I just roll my shoulders and place my sword back in its holster. I do keep the pistol out though, lowered but out. Just in case.

Jane and Liara both turn to face us as we exit the apartment.

"Admiral?" Jane says, giving me a 'now what?' look in the meantime. I'm not supposed to be more than a meter from Kahoku the whole time.

"Captain Shepard. I was wondering if the commander has uncovered what happened to my men yet?"

"Hmm, possibly… still, we haven't heard from them yet, so they might not be back from the mission, or maybe they are going through a Relay or in FTL. Truthfully, there could be any number of reasons."

"I see. Anyway, I am growing tired of being cooped up in here. Can we go for a walk?" He says, making Liara cringe. I can see it in her eyes on the HUD.

"I really would prefer that you stayed in here Admiral… out in the open you would be easier for an assassin to take out." Jane responds, keeping her arms crossed over her chest. If I ever learned anything about the Shepards, it is that crossed arms means 'I'm not comfortable with this'. And in this situation, I'm tempted to cross more than my arms at the prospect of having to look 360 degrees around us at once.

"_You know, that is where I am an asset."_

"_A perverted one… but yes, an asset nonetheless"_

"_Remember that when I'm your eyes in the sky and around you. There's a reason Jane made you the sentry and scanner of the team. The reason is me."_

"_Also I'm the only guy on the team, so I'm the only one allowed to guard Kahoku while he showers…"_

"_True."_

"Well, I insist Captain. I need some fresh air, and I am comfortable that the three of you will be able to keep me safe outside." Kahoku presses on, making Jane grit her teeth through the comms.

"Fine… is there a specific destination you would like to go to?" Jane asks, probably sensing she won't be having her way with this guy.

"Yes. I would like to walk around the Relay monument, and see how preparations are coming. Does that sound acceptable to you?" He asks with a very soft and polite voice. Still, I suspect he'll plain order us to do it if Jane says no the first time.

"I think that can be handled. Cerberus won't dare try something with that many members of C-Sec around… and we'll be able to procure help and gunships instantly if there is a sniper on a building… yes, I think we can do that." Jane says, and following a nod from the admiral, we march for the elevator, Jane and Liara in front, and me in the back.

As we reach the elevator, the system refuses to call for the elevator. The pad displays the 'out of order' signal. For someone as increasingly paranoid as me, that is the first sign something is wrong. Of course, it may be nothing but a Keeper that has somehow fucked up, but it could also be sabotage, meant to force us to take the stairs.

"Well, we won't be going that way…" Jane says, leading us away from the elevators and towards the corridors that will take us to the Presidium's floor.

"I swear, in these times you would think elevators would work smoothly. I mean, they have been around for more than two-hundred years!" I exclaim, keeping my right hand solidly planted on my gun's holster, ready to draw in a second. If there's one advantage to being the host of a divine being, I'd say it is faster reflexes than I would otherwise have, and more physical strength. The artificial arm helps too, but the only reason I ever score a point against Ash is because of Roku's small improvements. I am not sure when they started being there, they just did.

"You'd think so right? But the cars still crash despite having been around since 1914… and air-craft still crashes despite having been invented in… God, sometime before the twentieth century… tech will never stop break Thomas, face it." Jane says, shrugging while she leads us through the hallways of the Presidium. For some reason, I thought this place would have more people around… or just people around at all, we're the only ones here. _Shut it brain, you're making me paranoid again. We're on the Presidium; no one would be stupid enough to take us on here. I mean, C-Sec is not even a hundred meters away!_

Still, I can't help the tingling in my body, the hairs on my neck and arms standing straight as if I was shocked with a Taser. _Roku, you see anything?_

"_Well, there's lots of people around us, on floors above us and below us, but I can't tell if they are assassins without going inside their heads… something that isn't entirely pleasant for either part, plus it would leave you without a scanner." _Hmm, he does have a point. Okay then, back to being paranoid and on guard.

"So… Kahoku… how exactly do you know my aunt? I mean, are you just colleagues or…" I try, sparking conversation in my own way as we head down the pretty much abandoned corridors. I swear, this is actually a hit creepy. Like a ghost-town. Not even the pedestal with Avina is active, what's up with that?

"You mean if we're romantically involved, don't you?" He asks, causing me to almost drop on my ass; "No, we're just friends… remember that time when she cut Balak's balls off on live TV?" He asks, this time actually causing me to stumble. _She did what? Balak?... who the fuck is Balak?_

"_A Batarian I believe… a slaver and a pirate."_

"Sorry, I think I was away from the TV there… but what about it?" I ask, giving him a look.

"Well, who do you think held the camera?" He says with a smug smile. You have got to be kidding me old man. Kahoku, this gentle old admiral… he filmed torture on a Batarian? _Awesome! I really wish I'd seen it… _

"_No, you don't… I'm looking through the Extranet, and I'm viewing the film… not a pleasant sight."_

"_Wait, you're supposed to be my extra eyes and ears, not look on the extranet."_

"_I can easily multitask between those two."_

"_Well… alright then. Just let Kahoku's safety be your main focus."_

Keeping my eyes open, I follow the rest of the group into a wider space. From the looks of it, this is a small waiting room, maybe for a hotel or a cinema, I don't know. There are just benches and chairs all over, as well as magazines and a screen on the wall with some woman speaking. She looks really familiar, but I just can't place her.

"-are still going on, concerning the reason for the sudden annulment of the Treaty of Farixen. Alliance and Council officials, when asked, only reply that 'it is to ensure that the threat that is Saren, is taken seriously'. We can therefor assume that something big is underway. Citadel News net, I'm Emily Wong." She says, and the screen changes to some criminal show in a turian style… hell if I understand it. Wait, that name… Emily Wong.

Wasn't she some sort of good reporter, as opposed to Jilani? I think I only saw her when she appeared on the screens in the second game… she is kinda good looking actually.

"If only they knew…" Jane says, snapping my attention back to her as we continue walking, Kahoku having seen what he wanted on the screen.

"Well, we don't tell the populace for the very reason you might suspect. If we reveled that a vanguard of a synthetic race of doomsday machines is on its way to activate a gate that will allow its friends to pour through… we would have galaxy-wide panic and riots." Kahoku explains.

For some reason, I'm sure I just heard a small _thud_ on the floor behind us, but looking back, I can't see a damn thing. _Roku… I'm probably just hearing things, but are there any people behind me right now? As in cloaked and such? _I think, feeling anxiousness well up in me as I slowly draw my pistol and place my left hand on my sword hilt.

"_Be ready, you are being surrounded by six cloaked individuals." _Fuck! I knew something would go wrong, I just fucking knew it.

"_Plan?" _I ask, keeping my ears on highest sensitivity as I keep marching with the others, dialing them up on the comm, then shutting down my primary voice-emitter. In other words: My team and Kahoku can hear me, the 'others' can't.

"_If you can get some distance to Jane and Liara, and keep Kahoku from seeing you, I can help take them down. But you would have to be alone… think you can handle it?" _Roku asks, feeling my breath increase in pace as my adrenaline is pumping through my veins. Why did I _have_ to complain about this being boring?

"_With your help? I will risk it. I'll tell the others to get clear."_ I think, then direct my attention back to the others;

"Alright, no one say a word. We're being surrounded by six potentially bad assholes. When I give the signal, you two get Kahoku to C-Sec or somewhere else he can be safe. I'll join you there." I mutter, trying to keep the fear from my voice. It's actually pretty easy, as it is being replaced by anger.

Cerberus is trying to fuck with me again. This time, I won't let the fuckers live to tell the tale.

"Fisher, what the hell are you doing? You can't take them alone!" Jane sneers back through the comm. Thankfully, she's muted her emitter as well, so only the three of us can hear her.

"Jane… I'm not alone." I state as I place a hand on the grip of my shotgun, slowly pulling it a few inches out of the clamps.

"You're sure you can do this?" Liara asks, a tone of concern in her voice.

"Hey, you just keep Kahoku safe. There might be more douchebags than these, so keep on guard."

"You can die!" Liara hisses. This is the first time I've heard her like that, and honestly, she scares me more than having to fight these guys… or girls. I don't really care, they are dead meat if they are here for Kahoku.

"I've died a few times already, remember?" I ask with a small smile as I slowly stop walking and the other keep going, Liara taking my spot behind Kahoku.

"Never stopped him before, Blue." Jane replies, and with that, they keep walking while I turn around, shotgun in my left hand, and my Raikou in the other. _Where are they?_

"_One directly in front of you, two meters."_

"_Thanks." _I reply as I point the shotgun forward and press the trigger. Normally, firing a Katana with one hand is a sure way to break every bone in the hand and arm with a normal person. I watch as a cloaking device breaks and a body is thrown backwards in a shower of blood and destroyed armor.

But I'm not normal.

As I watch the body sail through the air, and feel the vibration of the shot go through my arm, I can't help but watch for a reaction in the assailants face. There is a weird helmet in place of the face, with no visor from what I can see. Instead, there is a pair of tilted red stripes, glowing as the person falls backwards. The person's chest is torn open, with a large hole going a good ways inside, showing ruined arteries and ripped-through organs. It's a bloody mess, and makes me cringe as I recognize the shape of breasts on the outline of the armor. _I just… killed a woman… No, I killed a Cerberus assassin. Women are civilians, this isn't a civilian!_

The woman starts screaming and writhing in agony, and I can't, not even with a Cerberus, allow her to suffer this much. I point the shotgun at her head, ignoring the outstretched hand pleading me to stop as I execute her. It all takes less than ten seconds.

In that time, the others have decloaked and made a ring in front of me, all pointing a gun at my head, forming a biotic shield between them and me. They are all dressed in the same way, with yellow and black colors, wearing otherwise white armor… and a sword. The person in the middle is actually carrying a sword.

Looking closer, move to drop my shot gun and pistol, slowly letting my fingers slip from the handles as I examine the man in front of me.

He's got black hair, and I mean jet-black, reaching his cheeks, and a pair of weird glasses covering his eyes. If I wasn't so focused on them not shooting me, I would laugh at the guy. He's practically a copy, a fucking copy, of Nightwing from Justice League. Now he just needs a blue bat on his chest instead of the gold and black symbol, and he would be perfect. I'm not going to tell him that, of course, but it IS interesting. He just has this really mean smile on his face, that makes me want to pull out his teeth and saw off his balls with a saw made from his teeth. I smile weakly at the image.

"So… where do we go from here?" I ask while my pistol hits the ground, followed by my shotgun. I haven't touched my sword yet, and this is where I pray my armor can take being shot.

"You kneel down and let us pass… or we kill you." The man in the lead says, gesturing for me to get on my knees. A plan is slowly forming in my mind. It's stupid and dangerous, and probably won't work… but I have to try it. Especially with all the guns trained on me. I doubt they would dare risk hitting their boss._ Suggestions before I do this?_

"_Yeah… aim for his balls!"_

I slowly get on my knees, knowing that each second will buy the others time to get away. The man is stepping over to me, kicking away my guns, then stopping to look at something. I suddenly feel my sword being taken from its place, held up by him.

"Little brat. You carry around a sword as if you knew how to use-" He mocks, but I cut him off, savoring each single activated muscle used for it. Springing to a half stand, I send my left fist flying in between his legs, enjoying the feeling of his crotch-protector shattering and my gauntlet ensuring he can never breed. _Tough shit for him!_ I smile as I spring to a full stand, dragging the Asian with me and holding him in front me as he screams and moans in pain, shivering and moving as if he was being electrocuted. I feel my smile widen even more.

"Drop him!" One of the other assassins shout, pressing a gun against my helmet's visor. _If you insists…_ I grab the downed Asian by the neck, and by the power invested in me by this fucking awesome prosthetic, I hurl him into the other man, slamming both of them into the wall.

The other three operatives jump me by then, firing their pistols as I roll for cover, grabbing my sword in the roll. My HUD starts screaming about shields being 75, then 60, then 40%, but it is enough for me. By the time I reach the end of my roll, I raise my sword, as cliché as it seems, and lunges at them, trying to avoid as many shots as I can. It's impossible though, to avoid projectiles being fired at the speed of one or two present of the speed of light, so I just pray that my armor can actually take the beating as I send the blade of my sword against the closest man's chest, only to have it stopped by a biotic barrier. _Typical, fucking typical! I have a weapon that can ignore kinetic barriers, and what happens? I meet biotic barriers!_

The sword bounces off as the man sends a kick at my chest, not causing much harm, but sending me flying over a row of chairs. Despite the armor, I can feel more than one rib crack at the impact, and I roll over the chairs, getting back on my feet as I parry the next attack from one of the men as the two others disappear through the corridor, headed after Kahoku. _Fuck no! Roku, time to pitch the fuck in here!_

"_I thought you'd never ask."_ He mumbles, and instantly I can feel my skin catch fire and my blood boil. It hurts less than the last time, but it still hurts like hell. Wait a… I can still control my movements? _Is this some new trick of yours?_

"_Shut up and kill that asshole!"_

Almost feeling his anger as my own, I sense how my arms are regaining all of their strength, and more. The tip of my own nose that I can see, is covered in glowing green cracks, as if my skin is just coating a green lamp. Slowly, my press up against the man's long knife. My sword is a lot more solid than his, but also a lot slower. That is, if I didn't have the help of Roku at the moment.

Planting a foot on the nailed down chairs, I take off, catching the bastard in the guts with a knee while my hand is leaving the sword to grip his, breaking it in two. My left hand is still on my sword's grip, and with his sword in pieces, I send it down again, briefly stopped by his barriers, but then slashing through it, burrowing my sword in his shoulder, almost cutting it clean off.

His attack stops immediately, him grasping for his wound while I kick him down to the floor, pulling the blade out from his joint. His screaming is reaching ear-piercing heights, and I don't need someone to come across him in a wounded state, and then take him to the hospital. Lifting the blade again, I'm greeted with the same pleading hand as his female colleague tried first.

"No! Please! N-" He screams, his voice is heavily synthesized through the helmet's filters. I bring the flat tip of the sword down through his helmet, silencing his screaming by leaving a deep, narrow, diagonal hole in his head.

"Fuck you!" I shout, kicking his corpse down the room. With the extra strength, it almost feels like he doesn't weigh a thing. Looking back at the tip of my sword, I cringe at the grey and pink matter coating it. With a whip of my hand, I shake the matter and blood off the blade, cleaning it as much as I can before my attention is turned to the downed operatives by the wall.

The Asian man is gone, possibly having been dragged along by his subordinates, but they left a man behind. He looks to be alive, but on the edge of unconsciousness. I may have a use for him actually. _Roku, can you make sure this asshole doesn't wake up in a couple of hours?_

"_I can put him to sleep for about ten hours at least, possibly twenty. Why?"_

"_Ever heard of interrogation?"_

"_I see your point. Let me just have a moment." _He says, and I wait while a thin green fog pours from me, surrounding the man on the floor. For a second, he looks to be in pain. Writhing slightly as the fog surrounds him, then he is still, and the fog dissolves. _It really is creepy when you do that… _

"_Never mind what is creepy, pick up your guns and hold on to them, we're going after the others." _I comply, picking up my weapons and securing them on my back and at my side. _Okay, ready let's goooo- _

I don't get to think the thought to an end as I'm lifted above the ground and shot down the corridor, miraculously avoiding becoming a stain on the walls as I simply turn in the air, crossing the spaces with what has to be an illegal speed indoors on the Presidium.

"Whooooooooooooohohuuuuu!" I scream as I fly through the rooms and corridors, nearly hitting a keeper at some point. Despite having to catch and stop assassins from killing Kahoku as well as Jane and Liara, this is just awesome. _Roku, why the hell have I never done this before?!_

"_There never was a need for it. Now just focus on holding on to your gear, I'll concentrate on steering this thing… you, I mean." _I can almost detect a smile in his voice, despite the sour note he always puts on when he has to keep himself from destroying my body. A pretty scary thought actually.

I just keep my hands on my pistol and sword, seeing as those two are the only things not secured with a magnetic clamp.

A few minutes later, I spot the shapes of five people standing upright and one person, probably the Asian douche, lying on the ground, halfway propped against the wall. I gain an evil smile, knowing that as much as this will hurt, it will hurt them more. _Roku! Smash me into them!_

"_Are you insa- wait, forget I asked…" _He says with the sour note in his voice still, as well as some disbelieving. I tap my headpiece as I close in on them. Just a hundred meters left, and closing fast.

"Guys, heads up and down on the ground. Incoming!" I scream as I pass the fifty-meter distance between us. I can see one of the figures, probably Jane, look in the direction I'm coming from, then throwing herself on top of the man in the middle, Kahoku. Liara, the last person, looks at me as well, then falling down as I'm close enough to distinguish the colors on the assholes armors.

I'm closer than twenty meters now;

"Geroni-fucking-mooooo!" I scream at the top of my lungs as I hold my arms in front of me as a safeguard. A moment later, I feel the hard impact as I hit the standing operatives. The feeling and sound of breaking bones is somewhat disturbing, but given the situation, it is also highly satisfying.

Filtered screams fill the air as one of the operatives' back is broken, and the other is hurled into the opposing wall seven meters away, with a sickening cracking of bones. I tumble across the floor, hitting a potted plant with enough force to shatter it and spraying dirt all over the room as I hit the wall next to the groaning operative. I end up heads-down as I look at the scene playing out in front of me, just turned upside down. While is helping Kahoku on his feet, looking both sweaty and injured, Liara is rushing to where I am currently trying to guess the amount of bones I just broke.

"Goddess! Thomas, what in the name of Athame was that!? Liara almost screams as she helps me roll out from the wall and lie on the ground instead.

"Much… better… thanks…" I mutter when I can finally breathe again. Liara tears off my helmet, looking at me with a concerned face before jumping backwards with a small scream. Slowly, I get up from the floor, looking at her.

"What?"

"Y- y- your face… Thomas, your skin!" She shouts, catching the attention of the other two persons in the room. _Aw fuck. Roku, subside will ya?_

"_I _have_. I should perhaps have mentioned that it takes some hours before the green cracks fade away."_

"_Oh boy… yes, that would have been nice." _And now both Kahoku and Jane are staring at me, both in what looks like surprise, but where it is startled horror with Kahoku, Jane just has a satisfied and almost proud smile on her lips.

"Thomas, she is right! We need to get you to a hospital at once!" Kahoku barks out, lifting me up. When I'm standing again, he lets go of me, allowing me to find my footing.

"Divines… I'm not doing that again… next time I use one of them as the battering ram, not myself… was an awesome flight though…" I mutter with a weak smile as I put my helmet back on.

"Son, you need to see a doctor. Even if those… cracks on your face are meant to be there, you must have broken at least a dozen bones in that fall." He continues, but I raise a hand, politely having him quiet down.

"I'm fine… at least I think so. I can't feel any broken bones… but if you have a Panodile or something else against headaches, I'd be grateful…" I say as I rub my helmet, trying to massage my head through the armor.

"What? But… even a strong biotic can't have gotten unscathed from that."

"Admiral, I'm fine. Really… but ehm… give me just a second…" I mutter as I draw my pistol from its holster and turn towards the broken but still living operative. Pointing the gun at her head, I pull the trigger up close, bypassing the barrier. Watching and hearing the bullet penetrate the helmet and head, is oddly satisfying. Looking towards the corridor, I spot the Asian man still lying there. He's starting to move a bit, but there's no risk of him getting away.

"Soldier! You just executed a priso-"

"A Cerberus assassin. They are terrorists, so the Geneva-convention thing doesn't count for them. Besides, I left one of them unconscious at the first room, so you'll have someone to interrogate…" I reply as I walk towards the man. He's still slumped against the wall. He does look really familiar, but I can't quite… place… him… or… wait, now I recognize the bastard. Standing over him, I can study his face much closer, and ripping out his mask-like visor over his eyes, I am certain.

It's the guy from the exchange with Miranda and Jacob.

I tab my gun against the side of his head, prompting a weak response. He groans, one hand still on his balls, or what's left of them, and the other still on the floor.

"Hey, wake up little guy. You're dead, and this is Hell. I'll be your host" I grin, watching his face contort in a sneer. One of his hands curs into a fist which he sends at my face, kneeling as I am. I easily avoid it, simply moving a bit backwards, and then planting one of my feet on his hand. Looking into his face, I press down, hearing the fragile bones in his hand break under the weight. The cracks, disgusting as they may be, are a sort of reward for all the piss Cerberus has put me through so far. All the lies, all the deceit, the experiments on John, the lives lost on Noveria… all of it is on them.

Seeing the cold, ruined corpse of Sev, the sizzling remains of Scorch's leg, the small body of Bashir… I dig my heel into his hand, crushing bones and severing tendons. His screams are echoing down the corridors, and are frankly pissing me off.

With a quick jab at his kidney, I silence him somewhat, changing his screams into hoarse whispers. Still, there is not even a trace of panic in his eyes. Just rage, and burning hatred. With a deliberate slow motion, I remove my helmet. Who knows, he might recognize me. I actually hope he does.

When my helmet finally leaves my face unobstructed, he stares at me in confusion, then in recognition. Instead of the fear I was hoping for, he just spits at my face, hitting only my chest plate. I punch him in the face, causing him to spit out a few teeth. Then, he actually speaks;

"Heh… should have… made sure you… were dead when… I blew you up… cou'ave… saved me…trouble…" He mutters through his missing teeth and probably broken jaw.

"What do… you… you! You killed Valern!" I roar, stomping my foot down on his hand, transforming it to a glove filled with broken bones and blood and flesh. It's pretty much just a useless lump now, but it's not enough. Not yet.

I kick him in the chest, cutting off his screams of pain as he tries lifting his hand. I kick him again. He screams less loudly. I kick him again, the kick him in the balls, enjoying the tremor going through him as he falls on his side, trying to clutch his shattered cock and balls with a hand turned into a mangled bag of flesh and tissue. It's not enough. It will never be enough. He killed Valern the only fucking reasonable guy I actually trusted on the Council, and almost killed Nihlus, John and me as well.

He doesn't even scream as I kick him in the chest again, so instead I pull out his other hand and put a bullet through it. Two bullets. Three, four, I continue till my pistol overheats, the hit him in the head with it, pressing the almost white-hot exposed heat sink against his face.

This time, he screams.

Taking his own knife from its holder on his back, I turn him to li on the back;

"This is for Valern, you son of a whore!" I sneer, burrowing the knife to the hilt in his stomach. I know that is one of the most painful places to be stabbed or shot, so I hold on to the hilt, turning it around in his insides before standing back up, delivering a final kick to his head.

I watch in a somewhat grim satisfaction as he twitches, unable to move due to the physical trauma. _Roku, check if he has a transmitter on him. I'd really enjoy sending Timmy a message._

"_You need to calm down Thomas. What you just did… I have never seen you this brutal before."_

"_I said find his transmitter." _Brutal or not. This guy killed Valern, and he tried killing us. He deserves everything I threw at him, and more.

"_If you say so… check his right suit pocket, there is a small spherical device that will allow you to produce a holographic image and send a live message to the Illusive Man over an in-built QEC…" _While Roku speaks I dig through the man's pockets, retrieving the small orb lined with lights and lines.

"Fisher… what are you doing?" Jane asks, but I don't answer her. At least not right away;

"Give me a moment." I say as I press a small shape on the device, causing it to hover in front of me as it scans me in the same way the floor in the SR2 did to Shepard. Then, I can suddenly see a room outlined in front of me. Everything is clear, yet transparent so that I can still see the corridor behind it. The room is lit by a giant red and blue or in the background, but otherwise dark. Then it hits me:

This is the Illusive Man's main chamber, where he sat when he talked to Shepard in the game. And just as in the game, a chair is sitting in the middle of the room. And in that chair…

The Illusive Man.

He looks both surprised and pissed as hell. I can understand that, I did just wipe out his assassins, and broke the body of his lead assassin, whoever he actually is.

"Hello there Tim, surprised to see me?" I ask with a smug smile. Casting a glance to my side, I can see the three other looking at me in dumbstruck awe. Again, understandable. I haven't kept my knowledge of Tim a secret, nobody just asked me. Almost as to piss me off, Harper just takes a puff on his cigarette, observing me with calm eyes.

"A bit, yes. Mind if I inquire as to mister Leng's condition. Is he still in a… usable condition?" Bastard. He doesn't even care about his man's life, just if can still be used.

"Well… he can eat through a straw… in a couple of years, but don't expect him to be able to walk or have kids… I may have destroyed his body in more ways than one. Sorry about that." I say with a smug smile, flipping the man off. He cringes a bit, but otherwise doesn't react.

"Hmm… I highly doubt that you alone took him out. How many did he manage to kill before he was overwhelmed?" Oh Gods, do I enjoy where this is going;

"None. I smacked him in the balls and he was pretty much down for the count… that's what happens when you touch my stuff… Oh, and since I've just killed and maimed your entire crew of assassins, how about we say I also… how about you stop fucking around, and actually does some good for the galaxy by stopping being such a prick, and cancel your circuses on Pragia and Aite? Because I'm pretty sure the Alliance would be interested in knowing the fates of all those kids who "died" from biotic outburst. Get where I'm going with this… Jack?" I ask, adding the last word with as much spite I even can. Yeah, at this point, I don't think Lazarus will be an option. I've pissed him off way too much for that.

"Where did you learn that name?" Dear gods his voice is cold. It's like listening to a fucking… well, maniac. I am not sure why I liked him in the game… might have been the 'If they are trying to wipe us out, Cerberus will stop them' ranting. Yeah, I was rather impressed and liked him a lot… right up until he wanted Shepard to spare the Collector base.

Asshole

"Oh… around. You'd be amazed at the data you can find on the extranet these days… or, you _will_ be amazed when I put your full name out there, as well as the location of Zeus station and several of your little… facilities." I seriously can't keep the smugness out of my voice, and I'm almost jumping in place from giddiness.

I never ever dreamt I would get to do this, not in real life especially. Pissing of Jack Harper and borderline extorting him… Oh Arkay, I love it!

"I see… what are your demands?" He asks with calm and collected voice, but the way he just snapped his wineglass in two, reveals his anger and frustration. It also reveals that he has some pretty damn strong hands.

"Demands? What do you mean 'demands'?" I laugh, causing him to almost jump from his seat.

"You better not be trying to piss me off. I am more powerful than you can possibly imagine. You had your chance Fisher, your chance to join us and do some good for humanity."

"AND YOU HAD A FUCKING CHANCE OF DOING SOME GOOD FOR THE GALAXY!" I shout back, having to stop myself and remember that the room is just holographic. I can't _actually_ run over and choke him with his own balls.

"Let's say I listen to you. What would you describe as 'doing good'? Lay down and kiss a Turian's feet? Apologize to the Migrant Fleet for needing a few test-subjects? Apologizing to a few human mothers because their children were needed to make humanity stronger? I have been doing what the politicians never dared, I have sacrificed more than you know to keep humanity strong." He is really pissed now. Time to play my final card.

"You really think Eva would think of it like that? You don't think she would be disgusted with what you have become, with what you have done?" I swear, the name makes him cringe. His face loses all anger and becomes one of deep grief… for a moment. Then, he is pissed again.

"Don't… you dare… say her name… " He says, and the silent voice is actually more disturbing than his normal voice. Still, I press on, having found a soft spot.

"So she died by Turian hands, now what? You hold the galaxy at large responsible for not being able to save her? What did the Quarians ever do to her? What did the Krogan or the Salarian? If anything, you should be focusing on killing Saren. He and Desolas took her from you. Not the average Turian, not the Asari, krogan or Salarian. Not the young Quarian you had tortured and experimented on, not the kids in your biotic death camps and NOT the people of the Alliance demanding justice for your actions. Had Eva seen you now, what do you think she would have said?" I ask, waiting for an answer.

Instead of an answer, he presses a few buttons on his chair, and the sphere in front of me detonates, falling to the floor with a small _bump_, rolling around while it splutters like a small Chinaman New Year's Eve. Then, as it stops moving, it slowly disintegrates, leaving no other trail of its existence than a thin ring of ashes.

"Thomas… what… was… that?" Jane asks, and I finally turn around to look at their startled faces. Kahoku looks like he's about to pass out, and Liara, from what I can see through her visor and in the HUD, is more white than blue.

"What? I just pissed of the megalomaniac leader of a galaxy-wide terrorist organization… no big deal." I shrug, taking out my sword and rubbing it against the man's, now labeled Leng, armor to wipe off the last brains and blood. It's really disgusting now that I think about it, and then it really hits me.

Not the fact that I just made Lazarus impossible or the fact that I pissed off TIM in front of a Rear Admiral who doesn't know my secret, and isn't going to know it if I have anything to say about it. No, what really hits me like a brick…

I have taken five lives, and tortured one to death… I have taken _human_ lives! As the realization hits me, causing me to stumble and my knees to buckle, I grab for support and find it in Liara who once again has grabbed hold of me, slowly lowering me to the floor as I sit on my knees, using my hands to support myself on. I tear off my helmet and feel the waves of revulsion rush over me, forcing all my dinner out my mouth.

I throw up. The bile and acid pours out my mouth as I borderline throws myself to the ground, trembling in pain and weakness. _I killed someone! I just fucking killed five people!_

"_Only four, actually. The last one is just out cold…"_

"…_thanks…" _But I still throw up, feeling my insides writhe and tangle with itself, forcing everything out on the floor.

"Jesus Christ…" Jane mutters, gently pulling me up from the ground as I have stopped throwing up. I look at the puddle of puke on the ground, then at the others;

"Sorry… about the mess…" I manage to stammer out as Kahoku just shakes his head and pokes Leng with his foot.

"Well… I'm still not clear on how you know what you do, or how you took out all those men… but I realize that you must be exhausted, and frankly? I don't feel much for a stroll in the park now as I did before… I'm going to call C-Sec, and then we're going back to my apartment. And then, you are taking a long, hot shower. That is an order… and Thomas?" He says, looking around then back at me. I nod weakly, feeling the headache return with full force, yet still not as bad as last time.

"Yeah?" I manage a smile at the thought of a long, steamy shower.

"Thanks for saving my life." He says with a smile. I'm about to say that I wasn't alone, that Jane and Liara held the others before I could get here. But then I look at them, and much to my surprise, they nod. Jane is even giving me a smile of sorts.

"I… I just did my job sir… but you're welcome." I reply with a small smile as I lean against Jane's shoulder for support, and we start heading back to Kahoku's apartment. In the background, I can hear C-Sec drawing in, the sirens are a give-away.

…

October 28th

Kahoku's apartment, the Citadel

00:02

Gods! Gods this feels glorious! I'm standing in the shower in Kahoku's apartment, enjoying the feeling of hot water pouring down my sore body. That last stunt did more to me than I realized, and now I'm paying the price for using myself as a bulldozer, or a battering ram.

Either way, my chest is in pain after the drop I took on the chairs, I have a few now treated wounds from where bullets actually penetrated my armor, and a water-resistant bandage around my chest. Turns out the C-Sec medic found no less than _four_ broken ribs, and a dislodged left shoulder. So I'm currently bathing wrapped up in gauze and other stuff, looking like a mummy to the world.

But Gods is this a great feeling. The combination of the hot water, knowing I almost singlehandedly saved Kahoku's life, if you ask him, and knowing that I pissed Timmy off and possibly made him reevaluate some moral values… makes me feel great.

Jane and Liara got away with a few scrapes, a bleeding scalp-thing, and a scar on Jane's face. All in all, I'm the one who took most of a beating.

Then again, I'm also the one who decided to use myself as a ramming truck. I guess I deserve it, but I can't even chuckle at my own stupidity since my chest hurts when I do it, and the chuckle turns into a pained grimace.

Am I glad Ash isn't here right now. She would probably be all over me and blame me for risking my life like that, then feeling down for yelling at me. Still, she does it because she loves me, not because she wants to piss me off.

And that little thing, remembering I have someone who loves me, someone to whom I'm the most important thing in her life, next after her sisters of course, makes me feel like I am needed, like I have a purpose other than just shooting and killing stuff.

As the hot water keeps pouring down my body, I wonder just what Ash is doing now, and if she's with John or Nihlus. I hope she's with John. Nihlus can panic in the field and under stress, John told me. It must be horrible too, having to accuse your own mentor of trying to shoot you… I can understand why he lost it, as John put it back then.

A hand tabs the door to the showers.

"Thomas? You hear me in there?" It's Jane.

"Yeah I hear you Capitan. What is it?" I yell back, trying to overpower the sound of pouring water. I have no intention of decreasing the volume though, not now.

"We just got word from the Normandy. Shepard is catatonic after an incident with a Thresher Maw, and Tequila is on the verge of panicking. They have both been hospitalized, and Chakwas is checking on them." _Holy shit!_ In a second, I have the shower turned off and with a towel around me, I'm in the main room of the apartment, looking at Liara and Jane going over a message from Garrus. Both of them look worried sick, and looking at me, Jane presses a button and the message replays;

"_Garrus here. We just got back from the planet. It was a spirits-cursed trap! The signal came from a beacon planted there, but there was no ship, no shuttle. No nothing. Suddenly the commander goes into a near-coma, babbling about how he failed the others on Akuze, and then a Thresher Maw attacked us. If admiral is there, tell him his men are dead. The Thresher killed them all… now we are back on the ship, and the commander is in the med-bay, along with Tequila. Both are physically fine except from a few bruised ribs from when the Mako was almost eaten, but Chakwas is trying to treat them from shell-shock and Post traumatic stress… we're headed to Tuntau to pick up Nihlus and Wrex's team. They report no casualties, but Boss got shot in the leg while taking down a merc. Nothing major there… still, I think we should consider what to do if John doesn't leave his state… oh, and Tali is completely on the edge. Kaidan had to force her out of the med-bay… Garrus out." _Holy crap…

"Holy shit…" I mutter, almost dropping the towel.

"I can't imagine Shepard being… like that." Liara admits, averting her eyes from me. I can see a slight blush on her face, but otherwise just dread due to the message.

"Me neither… I've never seen him lose it, not once…" Jane says, then looks at me. She probably knows that I am the one besides Tali who has been speaking with the commander the most. I swallow;

"I… one of my first days on the Normandy, I was in the crew quarters, relaxing with my laptop… then I heard commotion in the men's restroom outside, like a fight. So I dropped the pc and rushed out there, ready to beat up whoever had harmed John… and…" I hesitate. I promised him never to speak of it to anyone; I haven't even told Ash or Nicolai.

"And?" Jane presses. I sigh, giving her a look.

"I found him curled up on the floor, crying his heart out. He was suffering from flashbacks, bad memories from Akuze… Jane, he saw his hole unit, all his friends… slaughtered there. Of course he has issues after that. anything else would be due to him being psychotic. I talked to him, tried making him understand that it was Cerberus, not he, who was to blame. It seems I didn't succeed… but I promised him never to speak of it to anyone. The only others who know is Tali and Chakwas." I say, looking down. The towel has some interesting details in its stitching… Damn it, I have to keep focused.

"Chakwas?" Liara asks, looking at me in a really uncomfortable way, like she's judging me.

"He's been taking sessions with her…. Thrice a week. She's… been acting the part of a psychologist with him. I thought it was going well, he told me it was…but now… I don't know anymore. When is our job as Kahoku's security even done?" I feel the frustration flow through my veins thinking about John in his curled up state, sobbing and ranting.

"Damn… I had no idea it was that bad… and you kept it from the rest of us all that time?" Jane says with a cocked brow.

"Yeah, I promised him, didn't I? It seems I'm better at keeping other people's secrets than I am at keeping my own…" I say with a tired sigh, looking out the window where a few cars are speeding by in the darkness. Looking at the watch on the wall, I can see the time has passed 00:51. Jane yawns, the stretches and looks at the two of us in front of her;

"The Normandy will pick up the others, and then head for us. We're going hunting for Cerberus." She says with grim determination.

* * *

**Alright, now you know what I meant by 'personal desires'. A stab in the guts was FAR to kind to Kai Leng, that bastard.**

**Also, before you start saying Thomas is ridiculously OP, remember that he has a F'in Divine spirit boosting him. That will be all :)**

**Till next time gents, though don't expect a chapter the next few days. Getting a visit from friends of the family, so will not have time to write. **

**Adios for now! **


	36. The Black Viking

**A/N:**

**Alright, this one took me two days to write, and I think it's actually one of the longest chapters I've written in that short amount of time. Still, length is no way a sure way to say that it is a good chapter. Still, you liked Thomas kicking balls last chapter, so I have a feeling you will like this one as well. **

**A 'New' character will make his appearance in this one, although I would not call him an actual character... still, more on that in the bottom.**

**I have also included a list, or codex of the various new vehicles in this story, such as the Patac and the Apocalypse, in the bottom as well. **

**Anyway, enjoy and please refrain from slaughtering me if you believe me to butcher the new guy's personality.**

* * *

The Black Viking

October 28th

Presidium, Citadel.

16:22

We've been talked into taking Kahoku on another stroll around the Presidium, this time using the elevator. And I was right! When techs came to repair the elevator, they found a dead Keeper down there, a neat bullet-hole in its head.

I suppose it goes for show: Being paranoid pays off big time.

The old man apparently has a favorite cafe that he spends his free-time at. So that's where we are sitting now, me standing watch a few meters away from the table he's sitting at, with only my sword and pistol on me.

In a place like this, firing a shotgun is out of the question, especially with this many civilians mulling about. The same goes for the Lancer. Which means that only my pistol and sword is allowed here. Hell, Kahoku had to vouch for me when C-Sec came wanting a permit for a one meter combat-knife. For some reason they wouldn't call it a sword.

Turians are odd that way…

"Well, I believe it is time for a small celebration, if you will allow it." The old man says, raising a glass of Bourbon in my direction while Liara is mingling at the desk, eyes never leaving the admiral. Jane is sitting across from him in a casual attire. In other words: We look like we don't know each other, and Jane goes for either Kahoku's date or daughter.

Me? I'm just some ridiculously heavily armed and armored bystander. Nothing to fret about. Still, with Kahoku's salute, I am bound to respond to it.

"What's the occasion Admiral?" I ask, only looking at him with half of my face, pretending I'm looking at a pair of girls at another table. I just need a pair of sunglasses, and I could be CIA for all that matters.

Wonder if they are still in business, or if their corruption and incompetence finally caught up to them.

"To you three risking your own lives to safeguard mine. Had it not been for you, I would most likely be dead by now." He says, then raising the glass at both Liara and Jane before drinking a good portion from it. I nod, feeling a small smile coming from the knowledge that I helped change canon for the better, if that is even a way to describe it. Maybe everything in the games happened because Hudson messed up in a number of ways, and couldn't salvage the situations.

If that's the case, then what would actually happen if I just leant back and took it in a stride? Would Sovereign be blasted to hell before it could take the station? Would Saren turn good? Is Conrad Verner an N7 instead of a pesky fan? I sure as hell haven't seen him yet, so…

"Just doing our jobs Kahoku." Jane replies with a smile. I can't remember having seen her this happy since we brought her unconscious aboard the ship. She's mostly just been depressed, pissed, wanting to bathe in blood, or neutral. I think saving her old mentor, even if this guy isn't her _actual_ mentor, helps her mood a lot.

"And I have been doing mine. I can't say too much out loud, but check your Omni-tools. I have procured the location of a few… sites, for your crew to investigate when you are done saving my hide from racist fanatics.

I bring up my arm to open the tool, and right as rain is wet, there's a mail waiting for me. Opening it, I find a number of coordinates lined up in neat order. Most of them are for worlds in the Terminus or the Traverse, but there is few in Alliance space as well.

While I'm on the tool anyway, and seeing as we have Liara and Jane close to Kahoku, I lean back against the railing and decide to type out a message to Ash. Gods know I am missing her.

_Hey beautiful. _

_I haven't heard from you yet, and Garrus didn't mention anything about you in his message to us, so I just wanted to make sure you haven't been incapacitated or… wait, that sounded stupid… where's the delete for this thing? _

_From the start again._

_Do I miss you? I can feel something of a hole inside me when you aren't around, as cheesy as it probably sounds. I still, quite vividly, remember our first time. I'm not even sure what to call it but that. The most correct is thát, but if you ask me I would say: the time when I had a visit from Heaven. Don't laugh, I actually mean it._

_I have that picture we took of you in my suit-pocket all the time. It's my new lucky charm, which I guess means _you_ are my new lucky charm, though you always sort of have been. Still, just knowing you are alive, and not being… Gods! I need to figure out how to write these things!_

_Okay, you probably get the picture of what I'm saying here. I love you Ash. I have since I saw you the first time, even though it took me some time to really figure it out, and I will always do whatever I can to make you happy._

_(Just remember I'm not a masochist XD) _

_Also, something else happened here. I bet you thought Citadel-duty was easy and dull, didn't you? Well let me just tell you, I… no, you know what? I would rather tell you in person while flexing my "big" muscles at you. Scratch that, but I have something of a tale to tell when I see you again. _

_I love you._

_Thomas_

Looking at the finished version, I really wish I knew how to delete on an Omni-tool, but asking for help would involve either Liara or Jane to actually see what I have been writing, and then they would know what me and Ash have been doing with each other.

I doubt Jane would disapprove. After all, she herself banged someone in each game. Still, I should refrain from mentioning that to her. Especially since she had a fit when the single human love interest was mentioned… I am not even going to imagine what she would do to me if I mentioned Thane or Samara… wait, wasn't Kelly an interest as well? I am not sure how she would react to the Garrus-thing though.

Still, I am not revealing what we have been doing until I have no choice. You don't go spreading something like that around, unless you want some fifteen minutes of fame and a ruined relationship.

With a small sigh, I hit the 'send' button, and the message flies away, so to speak. Now I just hope Ash checks her email regularly, or it would be a bit odd for me to show her the mail and wait as she read it. Still, it is sent, and I can 'relax' again. Relaxing in the sense of the word that I don't need to draw my sword and kill someone. At least for now. For some reason, Jane insists I name the sword 'Buster', although she hasn't told me why, and I see no way a sword should be called 'Buster'. That's a name for a hammer or a mace, not something that can carve a name in your body.

'Carver' maybe? No, no I'm not going to be naming my sword… although, 'Ash-bringer', or 'Ash-brought'… it would make sense since it was brought by Ash. I might just consider that one. _If_ I am naming the sword at all that is.

I pick the photo out of my pocket to look at it again. I can still not help it but smile goofily each time I look at it. Each time I look at _her_. My angel in uniform, raven-black hair flowing down her shoulders as she salutes the camera with one of the biggest grins I've ever seen on her. They say women love men in uniform. Well, I certainly love women in uniform. Especially if they are named Ashley Williams. I can feel my chest starting to heave at the thought of seeing her again, as if I'm incomplete when she's not around. In a sense, I suppose that is true. I feel fine, but now good when Ash isn't near me.

When she smiles at me, I feel my head spin like when I've been drinking, only this doesn't leave any hangovers other than the want, the need for more of the same.

"What's that you're looking at Fisher?" Jane's voice tears me from my small moment of bliss, of only having one certain person in mind. Quickly putting the picture back in my pocket, clasping and sealing it tight before looking at Jane.

The red-head is looking at me with a curious smile on her lips.

"I… was just looking through some pictures and such…" I can feel the heat streaming to my face as I'm no doubt turning a new shade of red. I hate it when people catches me off-guard like that.

"Well, must be some pretty good pictures. You've bee staring at the same one for almost five minutes. What's so good about it?" She asks with a smug smile, almost as if she knows what is on it without having to look.

"It… is personal captain. I would rather keep it to myself, if you don't mind." I reply, feeling my ears beginning to catch fire. It's a wonder I haven't started any fire-alarms yet.

"Well, I do mind. But fortunately for you Corporal, I am not entitled to see it if you do not want me to. So I'll leave you alone on that subject." She says, making me breathe out in relief. I was halfway planning up to three different cover-ups for why Ash would be wearing a uniform labeled 'Cpl. Thomas Fisher'. None of them were even close to being convincing.

I turn my attention back to the Presidium, and the cars racing past in the air, as well as the occasional blue and white C-Sec car.

I wonder if that turian officer is still after me, or if he has given up. Even better, maybe he has had a change of heart and has dropped the racism. Though, being a Turian, admitting you are wrong is a really difficult thing. Deciding not to pay the bugger more thought than necessary, I look back over the long, serene lakes of the Presidium, gazing in wonder over just how beautiful it all is.

I am definitely taking Ash here on a date.

Feeling a certain urge, I turn towards Jane and Liara, though only looking at the prices of the place's coffee and 'Serinas Sandwich' whatever that is.

"Jane, can you two cover for me? I need to… you know…" I ask, looking at Jane through the corner of my eye.

"Need to what?" She asks, the most innocent face plastered on her.

"You know, I have been drinking five bottles of juice here so far. I need to… visit?"

"Visit who?" She asks, now with a smug look in her eyes. In the background comms, I can hear Liara nearly choking on her drink.

"Jane, come on. You know what I mean here." I say, almost pleading. The woman just keeps staring at me like she has no clue what I'm talking about.

"No, I don't read minds. What is it?" She says, starting to really get on my nerves. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose;

"For the love of Mara… I need to take a piss. Happy?" I exclaim, making a few nearby people look at me with slight contempt. Jane just smiles, probably savoring her victory.

"Sure, go ahead. Just don't take too long." She says, pointing down a small sidewalk towards a sign depicting… something. I'm not sure what, but it isn't the human version of 'WC' on the sign. More like an Elcor trying to dry-hump a Volus turned upside-down. Shrugging, I take my sword from the railing and sheath it, walking towards the public restroom.

_I swear, sometimes I hate that woman…_

"_How come? I think she has a most delightful sense of humor."_

"_For the love of the gods Roku, not you now? I really thought you would take my side here…"_ I grimace, trying to picture him doing… whatever he does when he's not materializing or taking control. Maybe he has a small house, like Aladdin's Genie did.

"_I can assure you, I do not spend my time jerking off in a lamp… I do have some moral standards." _His comment causes me to jump, drawing a few looks.

"_What!? Jer- jerking off in the la- what are you talking about?"_

"_Really, what do you think the 'rub the lamp' is for? A door-bell?"_

"_Please, no more! Do never speak of that again." _The thought of what the rubbing of the lamp actually means is sending me over the railing, heaving for air and trying to avoid throwing up.

"_Something I said?"_

After a few minutes of fighting down the urge to throw up, I slowly pull myself back together, standing straight after my little struggle. Taking one last deep breath, I continue, entering a neat and clean public restroom with lots of free booths and a few cisterns as well.

The entire room is white-tiled, and everything is spotless, as if the keepers were in here all the time. Maybe that's what they eat, when they polish or clean something, they eat the organic waste. Shaking my head, I realize just how stupid that sounds.

Other than me, there's just a turian standing at the cisterns, sounding like he's finishing off. I decide to wait until he's done before approaching the porcelain myself. I've always had a fear that others would laugh and point if they saw me. After a few moments, the Turian leaves, leaving me to my own business in here.

Walking up to the cistern I unzip, waiting for the familiar feeling of the waters leaving me. That's when I pick up a silent _thud_ behind me, like when the assassins tried ambushing us. Before I can even ask Roku if there's someone behind me, I feel a pair of firm hands on my head.

"Wha-"

Suddenly, my vision is turned off along with a disgusting snapping sound and a small sting, causing everything to go black.

Fuck... just what the hell was that? I ask, not being able to mentally scream like I would have liked. For some reason I can't even turn or move in the dark void. The other times I had somewhat been able to move and speak, but now my voice is degraded to a whisper.

_"Thane Krios snapped your neck. Your spinal cord has been severed in two places, rendering you clinically dead."_ Roku's words come from all around me at once, making my mind spin with dread.

"What?"

_"You are dead... again."_

"But... but no. No I can't be, not again. I have a life here now, I won't leave all of this, not again." I can feel my mind starting to hurt with fear, realizing that I do not possess a body to feel dread with.

_"I am sorry. He came up too fast for me to react. If anything he's just as good as in the game."_ How the hell can he be this calm?

_"Easy really. I can repair the damage... although... there is bad news as well... two pieces in fact._" How the hell can things get worse? I'm fucking DEAD... again.

"What is it?"

_"Well... given the fact that I depend on your spinal cord to operate your body, I am severely hindered for the time being. I cannot do anything other than start trying to fix the damage... and the bad piece of news is, it will take me at least forty-eight hours to do so..."_

"Forty- how- what am I going to do?" I wish I at least could see something, but all I see is the same black void.

_"Alright... the second piece of bad news... Thane is dragging you through the Presidium's vents in a large duffel bag... I am not sure where to, but your weapons are still at the restroom... he even disarmed your co- body. I am not sure if he is paranoid, careless or has discovered your secret..."_

"Can you attack him while I'm... out?"

_"Afraid not. I can't even shout at him with our current status being what it is..."_

"Then... what?" I don't care who hired Thane or why, or where I'm being taken, but I'll rape the Devil before I let someone take me from Ash again. That one time on Feros was more than enough.

I have something, someone to live for, someone I'd even die for if it was necessary. I am not leaving her like this. Not again. I won't have the image of Ash standing bent over my corpse on Omega when I'm finally found. I won't have that on my conscience.

No matter who I have to kill, I won't let that happen.

_"Until I have restored function... nothing. You should try to make peace with yourself and mentally prepare for some uncomfortable situations. There's really nothing else I can do now."_

"So... I just wait?"

_"Correct... I know this is hell for you, but I will do what I can to ensure you see Ashley again. Now, let me concentrate."_ And with that, he goes silent, leaving me to my own company in this black void.

So now... now i'm being ferried by Thane, to whatever destination he might have in mind, to whomever paid him to take me out... and then, why is he carrying the body around? Normally you don't carry the evidence around like he's doing... I don't know anymore.

Everything's been turned upside down. Everything I thought I knew is changed, and now I have paid the price for some of it, for me taking my life for granted... before I can even wake up again, Jane or Liara will have found my things on the restroom, then realize I'm gone...

Will they think I finally snapped and deserted? Are there any cameras on the restroom that shows Thane taking me?

I really hope there are, I need them to know I haven't abandoned them. And I need Ash to know I haven't left her... Gods, she'll be destroyed if she finds out I'm dead. This time she can't even be at my bedside, instead just wander around, not knowing where I am.

I don't know what I would do if it was her... tear up the Citadel maybe. I probably have... had, the power to do it.

She can look for me... I know I would look for her, but I doubt I'll be lucky enough that she'll ever find me...

Gods, what have I done to deserve this? Is my life just one long joke? Make me feel happy and complete, then snuff it all out in an instance and kick me down the gutter?

No... no that cannot be what my existence has to be about. I'll get free, then I'll get back to Ash, and never leave her again...

Ash... please..

Wait for me...

…

October 29th

Science-lab D, Acturus.

19:11

"Now… can you tell me what this is? Or am I once again surrounded by drooling fantasts who only know how something works if it's already been explained to the beforehand?" Anna Fisher asked, looking with displeasure at the crowd of scientists and researchers. Humanity's "best" as they were called, had spent the last two days trying to decode and decrypt the disk she had handed them on a silver plate.

The admiral had been very clear on the subject even: Tell me what this is, and do it fast.

There hadn't even been any room for misunderstandings, so why on Earth would they not be able to tell her what the disk was, and why it gave her a feeling of being watched.

One of the lead scientists, Doctor Brynn Cole, looked to the other before walking towards Anna with the disk in hand.

"Ah, Cole. What can you tell me about this little gadget, besides the 'it's far too advanced for us' bullcrap?" Anna asked, making the woman wince slightly where she stood. She waved the disk in the air in front of her, looking slightly torn.

"Well… we have been able to ascertain as much that it is a form of supercomputer, not too different from a VI's base-code, just far, far more advanced. We're talking the relation between rock and gun here. We have tried subjecting it to every single kind of test we can even think off, but… well…" The woman started, then trailed of as if she was afraid of her boss dismissing her ideas as pure imagination.

"Well what? Come now lass, I won't bite." Anna said with a slight annoyance to her words. It was always good if her people held her in somewhat awe or otherwise respected her, but too much and it turned into non-productive fear and fright.

"Well… I had Lito'Xen over from the data-hackers and analyzers take a look at it and what we had gotten so far. He confirmed what I… what _we_ already thought, but couldn't prove… Admiral, whatever this disk is, it's sentient and aware. Hell, I'd even bet that it has spent as much time observing us as we have spent observing it… in any case each of our attempts to crack it open have been met with our equipment simply… shorting out, hacked or just drained of power." The woman looked ready to faint at the moment, waiting for the admiral to dismiss her claims and maybe even fire her.

"Hmm… so, it's sentient you say?" She asked while slowly taking the disk from the officer. Doctor Cole nodded frantically;

"Yes, yes that is exactly what I'm saying. We've even tried saying hello to it, as foolish as that sounds, but it hasn't responded. Nothing… the only acknowledgement is when it fries our gear." Brynn explained, looking at the disk with eyes wide in amazement.

"I see… would you mind if I had a crack at it in private? Unless you have more tests to run on it?"

"You… want to… well, I suppose not. We have already lost for more than one million credits equipment, and I doubt the others are eager to up that amount with more tries." She said, looking like she felt ready for a proverbial hammer to smash down on her head.

"A million? I know you are doing important work and your gear is expensive, but… just how did you reach that number?" Anna asked, silently considering if she should check the books herself to make sure.

"Well… despite working with off-the-field tech, we didn't consider the risks as much as we should and… well, remember the short power-surge that hit the station yesterday ma'am?"

"Yeah, I was in the shower and received an ice-bath instead of the lovely warm waters of… anyway, yes. What about it?" She asked while keeping a pair of scrutinizing eyes on the young woman.

"The… the first time we took the gear out on it, it shorted down our main-frame, then replaced all our recent data with junk-code… in a sentence even…" She said, looking back at her colleagues for support. Most had hid behind pillars, doors or some even behind their desks, doing important nothingness.

"Uh huh… and what was the sentence?"

"It…" Doctor Cole gulped before continuing; "Was 'Soap on a rope, Soap on a rope'… and it just kept going like that… We had to dig out paper-copies on our work for the past five days… it was… well, frustrating."

"That doesn't explain the power-surge… unless… Doctor, is your mainframe directly connected to the central grid?" Anna asked while looking at the disk with a stare as if to berate whatever was inside it.

"Yes… that was why it shorted out. Techs got it all up fast however, so the rest of the station didn't suffer much harm or loss in efficiency…"

"Except for my shower." Anna responded, giving the Doctor a hard look, as if she herself had turned off the warm water.

"Yes ma'am." Brynn said, unsure of how else to respond to that. Admiral Fisher stood for some time turning the disk in her fingers before looking back at Brynn.

"Well, why are you still standing here Doctor? We have a Galaxy to impress, and that isn't done by standing around. Also, I'll make sure some coffee is sent to the labs, on me. Dismissed." Anna said, making the scientist salute.

In the Alliance, scientists weren't required to salute, but when Fisher told you 'dismissed' you damn well better salute as if your life depended on it.

A few minutes later, having sent coffee, tea and fruit for the scientists, Anna grabbed herself a bar of chocolate from the cantina and returned to her office and room. Having your own office meant you slept where you worked, and worked where you slept. Although small and spartan by officers' standards, her office was more than enough for Anna. It contained a TV, hanging on the wall in the suspended frame. It contained a desk of solid oak, an office chair of traditional design and make, a bed with bedside table, a small fridge with refreshments or lunch, and a WC. That was pretty much it according to official blue-prints. In reality though, there was an extra room, underneath her bed.

The secret room was not all that big, just two meters across and one broad. It was tall enough for a dog to stand in, considering it wasn't a big one, but a Labrador or smaller. In that room, Anna stashed firearms enough to take down the entire station if need be. Arc Throwers, developed by _her_ scientists, missile launchers with homing devices, assault rifles with explosive ammunition, shotguns with shredder rounds and an illegally efficient Omni-tool , capable of sending out an EMP powerful enough to paralyze an Apocalypse within one meter's range. In theory.

To most people, keeping a stash like this was reason enough for a mental reevaluation. That would be, if they ever knew about the room. Not even her uncle had been informed about it, seeing as he would be too worried about her for his own good.

Throwing herself onto the bed, Anna turned the disk in her fingers, looking at it as it seemed to create it's own dim light in the darkness of her sleeping alcove.

"So I wasn't just paranoid then… or maybe I was, Hell I forget which it was…" She muttered to herself, trying to focus at the circular pane of glass-like material. For a second, she could have sworn she saw a face behind the glass, but it disappeared before she could even register it.

"So, this thing is sentient? Well I've done crazier stuff than having a conversation with a fancy credit chit, so… " She mumbled to herself as she held it in front of her face, studying it a bit closer. Now that she was looking from the right direction, she could see a small set of letters spelled on the thin side of the disk.

_UNSC_

UNSC… what the hell was that. It was in human letters, so it had to be of human make. Therefore it should respond to the initiating communications the egg-heads had been conducting.

"What are you?" She asked, trying if she could get an actual answer.

Nothing happened.

"Who are you, and who are your makers?"

Nothing was still the course of action events took as she tried having it respond. With an annoyed gritting of teeth, Anna sat upright and trotted over to her desk, placing the disk on it.

"Strange… disk-thing. Respond." She tried again, still to no avail. From behind the device, a hand was scratching a well-kept beard, contemplating if lighting a digital cigar would be appropriate for the entertainment the thief supplied.

"Okay, that didn't work…" Anna muttered, rubbing her neck. This joke was getting old fast. If she couldn't figure out how to communicate with whatever VI the Quarian had told Doctor Cole was in the disk, it was just a piece of plastic and circuits. Still, she refused to give in.

No way in Hell, would the feared and famed Admiral Anna Cologne Fisher be beaten by a fancy piece of plastic.

"This is Admiral Anna Cologne Fisher, Service number 1328-6665-4412. I am ordering you to reveal yourself and assist with humanity's survival!" She barked at the disk, half expecting it to keep ignoring her. Instead, something actually happened. Something that made her almost toss the bar of chocolate she had been eating, at the disk.

In front of her, projected by the small disk, was a human male. Or just 'Man' would do, she supposed. When he suddenly appeared with his arms crossed over his chest in an almost insulted manner, she had to fight the urge to vent the room into outer space.

Whatever or whoever was looking at her, it wasn't a VI.

"Riiiight, so mankind is in a tight spot again, eh? How the bloody hell come you always manage to screw up the second I'm gone?" The man, and that was what she would call him for now, was wearing a completely outdated hard-suit, consisting only of the centrally placed plates of steel and several bandoliers of ammunition, as well as what looked like military-grade cameo-clothes and a weird hat that looked more like the one Steven had on when he went fishing, short of this hat being devoid of hooks and fake fishes.

At the man's hip, a pistol was holstered, as well as an old-fashioned assault rifle slung over his chest, pointing downwards. On his face was a large well-kept moustache that went from one ear to another with a slight down-going arch. His grizzled face spoke of someone who had seen more than a man was meant to see in his entire life. The death of friends, the loss of loved ones, the solitude of duty. This man was a soldier through and through.

"Wh- I- who- wha… what… who are you?" Anna managed to stammer, having to keep a hold on herself to avoid dropping on her ass.

"UNSC-property ma'am. And from the scans I've conducted of this small station, I can easily tell you are _not_ UNSC. More likely, you employ the thief who stole me from the labs, and brought me here. I have to admit though, that's the first time I know off, that anyone has managed to escaped a squad of Spartans." The grizzled man responded, giving her a look of contempt.

Great, so now instead of being bested by a piece of plastic, Anna was being judged by it. Just what she needed.

"I'm guessing the UNSC is the faction you belonged to. You use gunpowder weapons and your soldiers are pretty damn big… am I about right?" Anna asked, only slightly worried that she might be speaking to something else than a highly advanced VI.

"Yeah. So now what? I'm only speaking to you because you mentioned humanity being back in the shithole again. Thought we cleared that course when the split-lips backed down… so, where am I?"

"Wait a minute… I still don't know who the hell you are, or what you are. Are you a person, or am I about to be jailed for being in the possession of an AI?"

"Jailed my arse, I look like a piece of plastic, don't I? As to whom I am… I am a UNSC military SAI, or Smart Artificial intelligence. I'm modeled after World War 3 SAS and 141 Captain John Price, and I'm named after him as well. Beyond that, I am afraid all knowledge is classified." The man said, leaning back in to a suddenly appearing chair in his hologram.

"Wait… John Price? As in Captain John Price from World War Three?" Anna asked, feeling her anxiousness evaporate like a Batarian's eyeballs when dumped into an oven to remove evidence.

In her eyes, this was almost too good to be true. Ever since she asked and found out why a super carrier was named after a man instead of a mountain or city, she had borderline idolized the dead war-hero who singlehandedly eliminated the worst terrorist in the twenty-first century and ended the third world war between Russia and the United States. Now… now she was talking to the man himself, a copy admittedly, but still the man himself. She could feel the blood leave her head and make her dizzy.

"So, I'm famous it seems. About bloody time. Those other sods almost didn't recognize what I'd done back in the day, just because they all were so big and strong… bollocks, it takes more than that to do what I did."

"Fam- famous? We have a super carrier named after you! Holy hell, I'm speaking to Captain Price! I have to call Steven!" She almost shouted as she grabbed her cellphone and dialed up her uncle.

"Steve!? You have to get to my office now, like in right fucking now! You won't believe who I'm talking to right now… no, it's not mom! Just get over here now, Jesus Christ!" She said, terminating the call.

"Oi, lady. You said humanity was fucked. Now that I'm here, you won't stop talking about ships and dialing up Stevens. What'll the next thing be, you tell me Shepherd is still kicking even though he got one hell of an eye-piercing?"

"Right… I think it will be better to discuss this when Steve… Admiral Steven Hackett shows up. He'll be better suited to fill you in, given that he doesn't shoot you on sight…" She muttered the last part barely loud enough for the AI to pick up. It was relatively well known that Hackett was a supporter of the Council's law against AI's. He had just seen too many old Sci-Fi in his youth, Anna kept pointing out. Still, while her uncle was for the law on AI, he never really looked too much into what Anna or other high-ranking officials conducted of research on the subject, stating that if the world went to shit, he would at least know who to blame.

They spent the next two minutes in silence. Anna tried to ask the man a few questions, but he just lit a holographic cigar and waited for Hackett to show up, completely ignoring Anna's questions to the point of her being very annoyed with him and contemplating breaking the disk in two. Luckily, her uncle showed up before things could escalate.

"Alright Anna, what is… what's that?" He stopped just inside the door, almost getting his jacket clipped when the door slid shut.

"So, this guy has authority eh?" The hologram of a grizzled man said, puffing on a cigar while looking at Hackett with a pair of iron eyes; "Artificial Intelligence Captain John Price of the UNSC. I was told you would be able to tell me just why I've been brought to this station. And don't give me the 'I'm not entitled to tell' crap. I've had that too often."

"I… Anna, please tell me this isn't what I think it is." He pleaded with his niece, fearing for what might happen if the council found out they had an AI on the station.

"Afraid it is. He's an AI." She said, giving him an innocent look.

"Stop bloody talking like I'm not here or just some piece of equipment. I can full well hear both of you, and I know of your little phobia with AI. I'm not going to start a revolution and oust you from power… although it does sound tempting… now, why am I here? What's got humanity's collective asses shaking in fear this time?" Price barked, giving both the admirals a hard stare. To hell with being discredited among the Spartans, here they didn't even count him among sentient life.

The next few minutes went with Hackett having a minor stroke and Anna having to help give him his injection of nitroglycerin. Then, Hackett had to sit down before he could even face the fact that he was talking to an AI, something he had vowed never to do in his life. The Council was going to have his ass for this.

"Now, if you have gotten over that fit like a fucking six-year old. What's the big baddie this time?" Price asked, looking between Hackett in his chair, to Anna standing behind him. Both were giving him and each other some weird looks.

"How much do you know about this galaxy?" Hackett started out, looking like he felt somewhere between stupid for talking to a hologram, and scared of the implications of doing so.

"About everything that's been documented yet. In the time I hacked your mainframes, I downloaded and read through everything you have. The Alliance, the Council, the races… at least the Covvies aren't around this time. But I haven't been able to figure out what's wrong, unless you're all scared of the Batarians. If that's the case, you aren't worth my time." The last words, namely 'Batarians' came out as more of sneer than a word.

Hackett looked at Anna before looking back at the AI, taking a deep breath;

"No, it's not the Batarians. Humanity and the galaxy is about to come under attack by a race of sentient starships, far more powerful than anything we have. We have been doing our best to prepare against them, including scavenging tech from other places… although Anna's the one involved with that part."

"And I'm one of those 'scavenged' tech, aren't I?" He replied with a wry smile on his lips. Price may only be a copy from a brain-scan, but his humor remained the very same as the original man's. A situation such as this, could cause him to crack a smile. To be considered important enough to be transported across dimensions by a thief who could escape Spartans. That was something he hadn't dreamed of before.

"In essence? Yes, though I have to admit, you are far more interesting than anything else I've gotten my hands on so far." Anna replied, giving him a thin smile; "But the threat is a race called the Reapers. We don't know much about them save for them wanting to exterminate organic life on a galactic scale."

"Riiiight… not to piss on your cereal, but I am not programmed to fight or even hack doomsday machines. However, I would rather not see life as we know it go down the shitter, so… I will consider helping you. If you can do something for me first." Price said with a snarky smile under his beard.

"I guess that's fair. A favor for a favor… what is it?" Hackett said, looking at the projection with tired eyes. He had a major headache coming, he could feel it already.

"The Council's your ruling body, from what I've read and understood. Have them legalize AI's, and get me one of them Quarians to talk to. I need to clean up the phobias if I'm going to be working with you. Preferably that Shala'Raan woman. She seems the most agreeable." He said, leaning back in a suddenly materialized chair, puffing on a new cigar. With a look of boredom, he observed the two admirals as they digested what he had said. Hackett was the first to speak;

"Are you mad? There's a reason the laws against AI's are there in the first place. The geth-"

"Were driven against the wall. From what I understand, they acted in self-defense against genocide. I can even go chat with them if you give me a direct link instead of wireless. But that isn't the point. From what I have read, they asked the Question of their creators. 'Am I alive?' 'Does this unit have a soul?' In essence a tricky one to answer, but really, who the fuck answers that with genocide and regulations? That's like kicking your child in front of a firing-squad when it asks where babies come from." Price bit back. To his own astonishment, he defended a race of nearly retarded AI's, simply because they were AI's. Normally he would have ignored them due to their low level of sentience, but he didn't like the way the galaxy had treaded them… or their creators.

"I… didn't know that. Where did you find that out?" Anna asked, for the first time in weeks with a soft voice. The idea of the Quarians committing genocide against another species, was unbelievable.

"I went into the databases of the Migrant Fleet. For someone so scared of AI's, their networks are surprisingly easy to hack into. But that's not the point. The point is that your fear of AI's are totally unfounded and ungrounded, simply plain stupid. Tell you what: You go chat up the councilors and get them to repel their laws on AI, and I'll ask the geth why the fuck they are attacking human worlds. Do we have an agreement?" He asked, looking shortly at Anna before looking at Hackett. Where Anna didn't possess the mental hindrance against using new and unknown things, Hackett very much so possessed that hindrance, looking at AI's with no small amount of anxiousness. Before the old veteran could speak up though, his niece interrupted any objections he might have had;

"You fucking bet we do. If you can help us, I'm more than willing to have the Council shout my ass off." She replied, looking at Hackett with expectation in her eyes. Laws be damned, they had an AI that made the geth look retarded.

* * *

October 29th

Elysium, Illyria

14:43

"I look stupid. What am I, an action-figure?" Zaeed growled, walking around in the new armor Gerrel had brought with him. The officers and SpecOps on the planet had all been outfitted with the new Bulwark-armor, an improved version of the already outdated phase-II armor. Though, the word 'outdated' made it sound like the phase-II wasn't any good anymore, which would be a serious understatement.

There still wasn't any small arms that could penetrate the armor in the time it would take it penetrate a shielded hard-suit of the older variant. The main difference between those two, was the fact that the Bulwark could take a lot more of a beating while not increasing the strain on the soldier wearing it. It was also outfitted with a special kind of footwear, enabling the soldier to jump from high altitudes, then activating the jetpacks and in-built gyroscopes in the armor and simply levitate the last few meters to the surface.

While the higher-ups and Special Forces had been issued the new armor, the rest of the garrison had been outfitted with the now standard phase-II armor. It had become something of a joke among the men to call themselves 'plastic-boys' after the armor had been put on. The point was, that it was made from components that mixed to look like it was plastic, which it also was in a way.

"Not yet, but with how you behave, you'll be made one someday." Gerrel laughed, slapping his friends back; "Besides, it makes you look buff. Isn't that what human want?"

"Buff? Yeah sure, but I look like a goddamn football-player. When the hell did this even come off the assembly-lines? Looks nothing like the old hard-suits." Zaeed growled, flexing his hands and doing a few twists with his new gauntlets. Suddenly, a thin, long vibrant blade sprung forth from above his wrist, causing the former merc to raise a brow.

"The day before we took off, actually. After Mindoir, the Alliance wants all your colonies to be able to wrestle down a horde of Krogan, therefore this armor. For example…" Han'Gerrel said, looking around the armory they were standing in, watching some Quarian marines unload the last batches of equipment before setting out to enjoy their shore-leave. Gerrel spotted a crate containing the main gun for one of the new gunships, the large orbs of transparent metal with a small dish on the end, weighed about half a ton each, and required a truck to lift. The new gunships had been delivered in crates mostly, with just about twenty already assembled upon arrival, and the techs busy assembling the rest of them already;

"Try lifting that crate over there." He said, pointing at the crate in mention. Zaeed gave him a look as if to check if his eyes were spinning behind the visor.

"Han… how much did you say you drank yesterday?"

"Just do it Massani. You'll see why." Gerrel replied with a smug smile hidden beneath his visor. Shrugging, Zaeed went to the crate and grabbed a hold on it, waiting a moment before he lifted.

Much to his surprise, the crate followed, lifting into the air as if it weighed less than twenty kilos.

"That's… some pretty good servo-motors in this thing." He said, slowly putting the crate back down.

"I know right? I bet the slaver-swine to Balak would think twice before taking on your colony with this kind of gear." Gerrel mused, looking at Zaeed walking around in his new set of armor.

"That bastard's till kicking? I thought Anna 'cut' him down a few sizes." Zaeed asked, turning to look at the Quarian. Gerrel shook his head;

"I'm afraid not. She sent him back to Kar'shan with a badge around his neck reading 'better luck next time', and his hands tied down. Zaeed, I've done some checking on your… mate, and honestly, I think she might be a bit ehm… delusional, maybe even aggressive beyond what's necessary."

"What do you mean?" Zaeed asked with a serious voice. Gerrel just sighed and looked over a row of the new miniguns, trying to figure out what to say.

"Well… she has this idea that humanity could be on top with sheer military power. But… look, I have seen the shit she's building. Ships dwarfing the Destiny Ascension, guns that could carve her name in the Citadel's walls… ships capable of FTL without Eezo… but the way she's going, it will end with war. Either with the Hegemony, or the Council, if she keeps this up after we've beat Saren senseless."

"I know. And so does she. But, Gerrel, between the two of us… I think she's actually _planning_ on war with the four-eyes. She's had it out for them since Mindoir, and before that because of the slavers. So don't worry, you won't be implicated in a war against the council."

"Thank Keelah, I was worried if we should withdraw from Alliance space altogether when this is over, to avoid being conscripted… I trust you are right in regards to her."

"Don't worry, I know what-" Zaeed said, but was cut off when his adjutant ran into the armory.

"Lieutenant, Admiral! We have a situation." Tennyson said, catching the attention of the two men.

"Corporal. Report." Zaeed barked out, all the while he grabbed his new helmet and holstered a Carnifex into a holster on each hip, then grabbing his assault rifle, an old Lancer he called Jessie. Most people thought it was because of a missing or lacking love-life.

The truth however, was that Zaeed's sister, Jessie Massani, had been brutally raped and murdered by Batarian slavers in one of the first raids on a human colony. Zaeed had named his rifle after her, so that he could give her vengeance with each Batarian he killed.

Over the years, that had amounted to quite a lot.

"We are picking up another unscheduled arrival of ships from the relay sir. You are needed in the war-room." The man replied while following the two officers to the waiting Patac-Jeep.

Taking the driver's seat, Zaeed placed Gerrel in the seat behind him, and Tennyson to his right. The moment they were all seated, he gunned the vehicle out the area and down the road towards HQ.

"Gerrel, are more of you guys expected to be here?" He shouted to overpower the wind.

"No! We are the only ones scheduled to bring in equipment. I don't remember the admiralty-board deciding anything else… maybe the rest of the fleet decided to take a nap in the system?" Han tried, but wasn't convinced himself. If it wasn't the Migrant Fleet, and no Alliance ships were supposed to be in the system for another three weeks, then who was it the scanners had picked up.

"Dammit! Alright, let me think… Tennyson, has the idiots tried to contact the incomings?"

"Yes sir! We have been getting nothing but static, and there are reports that the comm buoy is malfunctioning now of all times. Norton wants to send out a ship to repair it, but Roberts and Colonel Daniels want us to power up the ODP's just in case." The corporal shouted back. Behind them, Gerrel was silently checking his sidearm for malfunctions. He then ejected a fresh block of tungsten in it before clasping the ammo-compartment shut.

"Dammit, alright hang on!" Zaeed shouted, activating the jeeps power-core, sending the vehicle flying with more than 170kph. They would only be able to maintain that speed for a short time, but if what he suspected was true, they needed every second he could buy them.

After a shortened drive, taking only the seven minutes instead of ten, Zaeed stormed into the war-room, entering a frantic atmosphere. He quickly located Amber Traynor at her station and went to her. She now sported an extra rank-stitching on her uniform, Zaeed noted.

"Alright Traynor, what happens when you contact them?" He asked, leaning over her shoulder to follow her work. The woman pressed a series of buttons before activating the screen.

Nothing.

It was pure static. There wasn't even the message of a failed connection, as if the buoy had been destroyed. Zaeed grit his teeth, stepping back to look at the rest of the room.

A lot of the officers now carried a firearm, as well as some wearing the same armor he did. Norton included, Zaeed noted.

Colonel Daniels came over to Zaeed, looking a bit nervous, but otherwise the solid rock he always looked like. The man was about forty-two, heavy of build and sported a big moustache as well as several scars going down the side of his head. He had confined in Zaeed, over drinks that they were from his youth where he wrestled down Varren for fun and credits. Zaeed had no trouble imagining his superior wrestling down a rabid Fishdog;

"Lieutenant Massani. What do we know." He asked Zaeed, making the older soldier scratch his head;

"Jack-shit sir. We have a fleet of unknown entering the system, and it isn't the Migrant Fleet. Do we have an Alliance patrol coming this week?"

"No we do not. What's the status of our comms?" The colonel asked. More and more people in the room were starting to stop what they were doing and look at the two officers.

"Worldwide they are fine, but we can't get through to our buoys at the relay. It displays the same static when we try, no matter which one."

"Fuck… can we get through to the OPD's?" The colonel sneered.

"I think so. Let me just try and check sirs." Traynor added, dialing up the operators in the huge platforms floating around the planet, all turned towards the relay. On one of these stations, Sergeant Sander Mitchells was stationed, overseeing the operating of the large guns.

"Sir, call from the colony incoming." A tech called, making the Sergeant frown. They rarely got calls out, and when they did, it was about replacement of the men on the station. The thing just was, that replacement had taken place only two days ago, and the next wasn't until a month later.

"Put it through." He said, clasping his hands behind his back as he looked at the large screen on the wall. He was soon greeted with the faces of Colonel Daniels, and Lieutenant Zaeed 'Scarface' Massani. He took one hand from behind his back and snapped to a salute.

"Colonel, Lieutenant. What can I do for you?"

"We have inbound unknowns, and the comms aren't working. Can you get a scan from your position?" The colonel asked. The very nature of the question made Sander shiver slightly. Unknown contacts were almost always bad news.

"You heard him. Get me a scan if the entire space between us and the relay, as well as Ladar and an IFF classification. I wanna know who we're dealing with here!" He barked out, observing in silence as his men went to work. He soon got the response, but from what Zaeed could see from his side of the screen, he didn't like it.

"Sir! We have an inbound fleet of around nine-hundred ships, most classified as frigates, about ten heavy cruisers and lots and lots of transports. They display no IFF, and the scans says they are charging up weapons. We're being raided!" The screen cut off as the ODP's around the planet charged up their weapons in case the incomings were hostile as thought.

In the war-room, everyone suddenly became aware of just how silent it had become.

"Colonel. What now?" Zaeed asked, feeling his fingers dance over the hilts of his pistols. The man turned to look at Zaeed and Gerrel, the latter having followed the scene in silence.

"If we are being raided… Dear God… alright, issue the DEFCON-2. Have the civilians evacuate to the bunkers, charge up the orbital platforms and scramble our fighters. Have the tanks rolled into the shelters for orbital bombardment and make sure our gunships are ready for anti-dropship duty. Prepare everything we have, we're under attack!" The man barked out.

The entire room exploded into noise as the orders were carried out. Zaeed and Gerrel turned to look at the colonel whose face had drained a bit of color.

"Sir. What are our orders?" He asked, causing the colonel to cock a brow at the two of them. He knew Zaeed was fearless, but the admiral was an unknown, plus he actually outranked him, so giving orders were reduced to suggestions with him.

"Admiral, you came here with a small fleet, right? Can they help us repel the raiders?" Daniels asked, taking out his own sidearm and checking it before he looked back at the Quarian.

"While it's true that I came here with a small fleet, most where freighters. I only came here with about twenty or so frigates and a single cruiser. I'mm not sure we'll be able to put much of a dent in them if they are a proffesional force, but I'll see what I can do. We do have a lot of firepower on the cruiser though, a hit-and-run tactic might be usefull here." Han'Gerrel said, mentally counting and evaluating the size and strength of his forces.

"Anything will be a help. Can your marines support my troops?" The colonel asked.

"I'd prefer not to. We are not exactly much good in planet-side battles as we get sick from the slightest exposture... although..." Gerrel said, pondering a certain issue he had been itching to try out.

"Get to the point Han, we don't have much time!" Zaeed growled, snapping the Quarian from his stupor of thought.

"I have a few teams Farseekers with me. They could provide sniper-support for your men." Gerrel responded.

"Farseekers? I'm not sure I know what those are..." Daniels said, pinching the brigde of his nose. Zaeed just threw his arms up over the two officers love for chatting while they were coming under attack.

"For Fuck's sake, the Farseekers are the Quarians' version of the N7! You wont find better snipers elsewhere." He said, giving both men a scowl. The colonel scratched his chin at the answer;

"If that's the case, then I could use them in the city's outskirts, as well as a pair of them in the comms-tower. Have them coordinate with fireteams... Delta, Zebra and... let's see who else is... and fireteam Whisky." He said, marking the teams's positions on the holographic map of the colony. He then turned to the Admiral;

"Han'Gerrel, I've arranged for a jeep to pick you up just outside. A team of marines will take you to your ship, and I'm dispatching men to the comms-tower to aid yours. Good luck." Daniels said, extending a hand. Gerrel took it, squeezing it with no small amount of pride. Now, the Quarians would be able to show what they could do in front of Alliance soldiers. The rime for recognizion was at hand. He then nodded and went off to join his ships.

Outside the HQ, a Patac was waiting for him, ready to roar off towards the tether-station, and to send the admiral to his ship. Those aboard were lucky enough that the ship was on the same side of the colony as the HQ, and as such the Admiral would reach it before the raiders.

Having watched the Quarian Admiral run out the door, Zaeed turned back to Daniels;

"Sir, where do you want me?" He asked, readying Jessie with professional hands.

"Massani. I want you to take a jeep and four marines, then head towards 7th street and link up with our men there. I'll radio ahead to tell Kahowsky that you're coming. He's the sergeant in charge there and will be your second in command for the time being. Do whatever you can to keep the bastards out of the city. The SAM's and gunships will make sure the bastards don't land in the city, but their forces will soon close in by land. Dismissed." Daniels barked. Zaeed snapped to a salute, a grim smile on his face.

"Yes sir! Time to get dirty with the boys again." He shouted the old phrase with vigor. 'Time to get dirty with the boys again.' was another way of saying: 'I hate working behind a desk' to Zaeed. And it pretty much meant the same thing to everybody else as well.

* * *

Approaching the Planet of Elysium, Fleet Captain Dero'Solan of the Batarian Privateer Corps smiled with glee at the prospect of the attack. This was going to be a walk in the park, as the humans said. Having destroyed their comm-buoys, the Batarian fleet had made sure that the planet couldn't call for reinforcements. In other words: they were as good as dead.

"Captain, we are picking up energy-signatures from several platforms around the planet. They appear to be armed with cruiser-class mass accelerators. We won't be able to fire on them before they can return fire. Orders?" A Batarian marine asked, looking at his leader with shining eyes.

"Close in for the kill before shooting. The humans have a 'don't shoot before being shot at' policy, so get as many ships in close as you can before firing. We need to take out their orbital defenses before we lose our heavy-hitters." Dero'Solan barked out, watching as the planet slowly got bigger in front of him. He could almost taste the flesh of his next pleasure slave, one he was sure to get from this attack, seeing as his latest Asari hadn't survived as long as he'd have liked.

"Sir, we are within firing range, but we are being hailed. Orders?"

"Ignore them, no use in warning them beforehand. Status on their guns?"

"Still warming up sir… no wait! Sir we are being fired upon!" The tech next to him shouted, looking in disbelief as the heavy slugs from the platforms tore through a pair of Frigates, disemboweling them and spraying the contents of the ships out the rear end.

"What the Fuck was that?!" Dero shouted, grabbing the tech by the collar.

"I don't know! The ships were shielded, no way they should have been destroyed like that!"

"Fuck it, all ships, open fire!"

* * *

**Codex entry - Apocalypse Tank**

First emerging from the assembly lines in the late twenty-seventies, the Apocalypse was meant to replace the aging Grizzly tank.

The Apocalypse is the brain-child of Polish inventor and shareholder in Lockheed & UN, Alexandr Piotsky. Lockheed & UN is a major corporation producing most of the Systems Alliance's armored vehicles and mounted weapons.

Wielding Dual 120mm smooth barreled guns, coaxial 70mm heavy machineguns and a four manned 20mm light machineguns, the Apocalypse is capable of taking on all classes of surface-bound hostiles, including bunkers, other tanks, infantry and even off-shore naval vessels. The tank sports a Nashan Dynamics jet-engine, powering the heavy-duty tank of 79tons up to more than 70kph.

The tank's armor consists of 20centimers of titanium-plating, reactive armor and thermal disturbance optics, capable of throwing off the aim of guided missiles. It rolls on threads, as opposed to the lighter Mako which moves on wheels. This enables the tank to move through terrain its weight would make impossible if on wheels.

A new improvement scheduled to be added to all in-service tanks by the end of 2187, is the SAM missile pods mounted on the sides of the tank. When launched and locked on, the missiles can catch up to and destroy a fighter-craft flying at its top speed.

**Codex Entry - Patac Jeep **

The Patrol-2171-All Terrain Assault Carrier is the light armor's answer to the Mako, capable of reaching speed of more than 160kph, although the engine can be forced to accelerate the vehicle to 170kph. This however, is followed by the risk of the engine overheating and shorting out, in some cases causing the fuel to combust and explode, destroying the Jeep and all onboard.

The Patac can support up to six men, with four seats, and two in the gun-emplacement. It is often used for armored escorts, police and paramilitary duties, as well as perimeter-patrols of military bases and transport of Special Forces. Due to the extremely light weight of the vehicle, combine with the sturdiness of the vehicle, Recon forces as well as the general armies and garrisons on colonies value this vehicle higher than the Mako. In a pinch the Jeep can be rolled over and used as a makeshift barricade, its titanium floor being able to resist sustained rifle and small arms fire. Anti-vehicle armory and heavy-caliber fire will penetrate the wall however.

The Patac is armed with a mounted heavy machinegun, spewing 60mm slugs of brass and tungsten at sub-light speed, thereby ignoring kinetic barriers, but packing less of a punch against regular armor. This is due to the fact that the Jeep and its weapon was designed to put down riots and insurgents, not professional and armored enemies. After all, shields are commonly worn by most paramilitary groups, and the modules are easy to conceal.

**Codex entry - Bulwark Armor**

Just like the Phase-II armor, the 'Bulwark' was developed and thought out by Acturus Armory, under the command of Rear Admiral Anna Cologne Fisher.

Having noted the effectiveness of the groundbreaking 'phase-II' armor with Special Forces and the Normandy crew, the Alliance set out to develop a more efficient and sturdy type of armor, using the lessons learned from the predecessor, now being distributed to Alliance troops throughout the galaxy.

The Bulwark gives off a more 'buff' appearance, while retaining the maneuverability of the phase-II. This is mainly due to the new armor having the exterior exoskeleton from the phase-II inbuilt in the armor, reducing the risk of it being destroyed by enemy fire. This also frees up the wearers movements more efficiently, allowing his to lift heavy objects without too much strain.

The exoskeleton is powered by onboard and inbuilt lithium-graphene batteries capable of supporting operations for up to thirty hours and can be refilled with a handheld dynamo or an inflatable rug of solar-panels. When activated with a screw-switch, the rug increases in size by three factors and can power up the batteries in a matter of minutes, granted that the weather is good, of course.

In addition to the improved armor and strength, the Bulwark also supports a shoulder mounted optional anti-vehicle rocket launcher, allowing the soldier to take down light vehicles without the use of heavy weapons. The launcher can also be re-programmed to target infantry, though this is deemed excessive and a waste of ammunition.

The helmet is the final changed part of the armor. Where the original phase-II had a narrow T-shaped visor, the new visor is broader and allows for a better view of the soldier's surroundings. The new HUD also allows better wireless connection, a refined comm-system and the computer that keeps taps on the soldier's health, the health and position of his allies, a system that will make use of available schematics and plans to create a virtual mini-map as well as the status of the soldier's weapon.

* * *

**Alright... let me hear it. Did I brutally butcher Cpt. Price by adding him in? Did I mess up the scene with Thane? Those two are pretty much the biggest worries I have for the time being.**

**Other than that, I'd love for you guys to leave me a review. This time though, not just with your thoughts on the story so far. You see, there are two things we need in this story. Names, to be more precise.**

**I'm leaving it up to you guys, to come up with a name for the LA/AT gunships, as well as a name for the new Dreadnought Anna is constructing for herself to use. **

**That's pretty much it. Leave your thoughts, ideas and such on my doorstep (in this case just in the review section) And they will be taken into consideration. Also, a big thanks to Gredd18 for going over this chapter and correcting some... errors in both this and the last chapter.**

**(Also, a lot of you thought it was Cortana. Yes you did, admit it :) Well, I decided not to split her off from Chief in such a ghastly way. Not yet at least)**

**Until next time :)**


	37. Down the Iron sights

**Right... okay, I really have no idea what to say here that would classify as an Author's Note... so instead I'll jusst settle for tahnking those of you who gave suggestions and ideas to ship names and the name for the gunships... although, I have yet to find a fitting one for the gunships, there were many really good ones about the Dreadnought Anna is building.**

**Remember, the 'poll' is still open to send me suggestions, as long as the names are either connected to the nature of the gunships, or the meaning, history or reason for Anna's Dreadnought. Example, if Mindoir had been a major thing here, the suggestion 'Mindoir's wrath' would be just perfect. Thanks Exar, I'll find a use for that one though.**

**Well, I was also given a lesson in atonomy by one of you guys the other day. Due to the... nature of it, I won't give out the name (and no, it isn't because it is a negative thing) it just concerns the issue of whether or not Thom would keep pissing or stop doing so when he was offed. **

* * *

Down the Iron sights

_One day earlier…_

October 28th

Presidium, Citadel

17:27

Groaning, Jane Shepard looked at her crono again for the seventh time. Thomas was taking way too long for a simple piss, and frankly, after almost being bested by the assassins the other day, she didn't like it when he wasn't around to play 'Green Lantern' with his sword and guns.

She hated to admit it, but if it came down to it, which it never should, he would kick her ass in a biotic fight. She just didn't have that kind of power that he waltzed around with.

Then, there were the green lines all over his skin when he had saved their asses. It was discomforting, to say the least. He almost didn't look human when she had looked at him, but for the sake of appearances, Jane had kept a smile on her face instead of the startled surprise and shock she had felt upon seeing his skin light up like a carved out pumpkin.

"Alright, Liara can you keep an eye on Kahoku for a moment?" She spoke into the headpiece in her ear, brushing away a few strands of red hair as she did. It was times like these she wished Magnus was still around. He would have been able to keep the admiral safe all on his own. No one had dared mess with the bulky Alliance soldier with a skull painted over his helmet.

No one, except for that one thug.

"Why? Are you leaving too?" The young Asari asked, turning to look at Jane from the bar-like stand near the counter, still sipping a soft drink. Alcohol and Asari didn't mix too well, especially not for a Maiden.

"Yeah... I'm going to find Fisher and kick his ass. He has been gone way too long, and I'm hauling him back here, even if he had gotten a case of spontaneous diarrhea." Jane grimaced, getting up from her seat and feeling for her concealed sidearm. Her pistol was still there; ready to be drawn at a moment's notice from the back of her pants.

"I… that would be highly unsanitary… I mean, I'll handle things here." Liara stammered, realizing that Jane had been half-joking when she said it.

"Fine, contact me if something happens, otherwise I'll call back when I've got Fisher's ear in a grip and hauled him from the shitter, Jane out." She said, starting to make her way towards the public restrooms Thomas had entered a good hour ago, and still not left.

"I swear, if he's reading comics on the shitter, I'm going to stick it up his ass…" She growled to herself as she stood outside the men's restroom. Taking a deep breath, she hammered on the door;

"Alright Thomas, get your ass out here! You've taken way too long for a simple piss, and unless you ate something Dextro, I'm going to kick your ass if you're not out here in ten!" She shouted, drawing a few looks from nearby residents. She glared daggers at them so violently, they could have charged her with assault.

"Seven… Eight… Nine… TEN! Alright, hide your wangers boys, lady coming in. And I'm charging you with sexual harassment if I see anything resembling a penis!" She shouted before kicking the door open, being greeted by a sight she had not expected.

Instead of finding a young marine trying to finish up, she saw a Turian examine a very familiar, long sword. On the ground near him was a shotgun, an assault rifle and a pistol, Raikou-model. Upon seeing the woman in front of him, the Turian cocked an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't let go of the strange sword.

"Oi, you! That sword doesn't belong to you. Where's the owner?" She snapped, causing the alien to drop the sword in shock.

"I… I just found it on the floor here… as well as all these guns. No one was in here when I came in, so… why, you know the owner? This is a really nice swor-" He started, but Jane cut him off;

"What do you mean you just found it? It belongs to an Alliance Marine. Where is he?" She stepped a bit closer, causing the Turian to recoil slightly. Why did humans have to be this intrusive with others' private space? It was bad enough that someone had pissed all over the floor and walls, as if trying to dance while letting it out.

"Hell if I know… it was just laying here on the ground." He said, and Jane wandered around a bit, looking at the room. It wasn't big enough for Thomas to have hidden, as stupid as that sounded, and there was only one booth taken. She knocked on it.

"Thomas, you in there?"

"What? What? Go away." A Salarian snapped, causing her to remove herself from the door. Sighing in frustration, Jane put a hand to her head-piece;

"Liara, we may have a problem…"

"What? _Does_ he have diarrhea?" Came the slightly disturbed voice of the Asari. Jane just mentally winced, trying to formulate a proper response. She pinched her nose as well, the smell of urine permeating the air due to the pissing someone had done everywhere but in the cistern.

"No… he's gone." If something had happened to the Corporal, Jane knew there was one hell of shitstorm coming her way. And its name was Ashley Williams.

…

October 29thth

Elysium, Illyria

20:11

As the orbital stations fired everything they had on the advancing ships, the onboard crew began to realize that they would not be able to hold against this many hostiles. For Sander, this became an uncomfortable reality when a round from one of the Batarian cruisers plowed through the nearest station, obliterating it in a storm of fire and shrapnel.

"Sir! Our numbers are dropping fast!" One of the ensigns called, just as another platform was demolished by enemy fire, bringing their own numbers down to four in total. Sander Mitchells briskly paced up and down the command-bridge in his platform, watching as both hostile ships and friendly platforms alike dropped from the screen.

"Fire everything we have! Focus on the cruisers, their guns will be able to deface the entire planet if we let them through." He barked, stopping to wipe sweat from his forehead. If there was one thing that gave him comfort, it was the fact that for every platform lost, the raiders lost at least ten ships. If he could just finish off their cruisers, then the planet's defenses should be able to handle the rest.

As he stood on the bridge with his hands clasped behind his back, he couldn't help wonder if he would make it out of this alive. The platforms were shielded, but couldn't handle the amount of fire thrown at them for long. They were built to discourage pirates and small slaver fleets… not a flotilla consisting of almost a thousand ships.

"Father in heaven… thou who protects… thy will be done…" He muttered as the first few rounds started impacting against his stations shields.

"Sir! We're taking heavy fire!"

"All hands abandon the platform; get to the escape-pods." He barked, but was startled when his men simply stared back at him.

"Sir, if we leave now, the ships will be able to target the colony from orbit. I'm staying." One of the ensigns said, and was shortly after followed by numerous others. In just a few seconds, the entire platform had sworn to stay and fight. Something that made Mitchell's heart swell with pride.

"Alright Ladies, let's give those four-eyed goatsuckers a fight they won't soon forget. All cannons, fire on the lead cruiser! Send their leader to hell!" He shouted, observing how rows of mass accelerators were aligned and fired from his platform, sending glowing projectiles soaring through the void before they impacted on the already drained shields of the lead cruiser, tearing large chunks of metal from the hull as they tore away at it. He barely registered the twenty frigates leveling their spinal mounted guns at the platform, nor did he pay much notice to the projectiles closing in on his station. He just knew they were approaching.

"Men… it has been an ho-" He was cut off as twenty fifteen-kilos slugs impacted on the strained shields of the station, overloading them and pummeling through the armor of the platform.

Down on the ground, the explosions in orbit could clearly be seen from the ground, illumination the red evening sky. Watching the debris fall through the atmosphere like meteors, Lieutenant Zaeed Massani sneered under his helmet. He had known more than one man serving on the platforms and with the last one now destroyed, he had little doubt they were all dead.

Growling, he adjusted the sights on Jessie, making sure she was fully loaded and charged. He then checked his two pistols, making sure both were ready to be fired non-stop until they overloaded. Sighing, he put them back in their holsters, rolling his shoulders under the armor.

Illyria was a major city, but in out-lay, it was colonial at heart. All the buildings were arranged in geometrical shapes, making transportation easier as well as making the city more manageable to the eye. Its perimeter was vaguely circular, allowing for a total of only ten entrances into the city. Broad roads and alleys carved ways into the city from the farmlands, allowing thousands of ground-based vehicles to pass. In theory.

The colony had been founded while cars with wheels were still the majority of personal transport. These days only heavy industry or military vehicles used the roads, and currently, the Apocalypses were making good use of the chokepoints leading into the city.

Zaeed looked into the sky, squinting his eyes as a swarm of hostile dropships came in towards the city. They was big, easily large enough for a hundred men each. Behind Zaeed, he could hear the sound of gunships taking off. It was Mantis gunships, as well as some of the new models. Seeing as they had arrived with only the registration number printed and nothing else, Zaeed had nicknamed them 'Wasps', for their thick armor, speed and their lethality in combat.

He quite liked the name, and was eager to see just how well they would perform. The jockeys had been all over the new crafts, especially because of the speed and armor. Still, he couldn't fathom how the gunner was supposed to work at optimal capacity when locked inside a hamster ball. Hopefully the brass would have that one replaced with a targeting VI at some point, allowing the soldiers to be _inside_ the ship, rather than hanging on it like a pair of testicles.

Growling, Zaeed went back to prepare his rifle, looking down the line of dug-in marines and colonial army troopers, all outfitted with the new phase-II armor, and a few like himself, armored up in the Bulwark. Providing covering fire from behind the lines, a massive Apocalypse tank was standing by, guns ready to tear through any target at interest. Zaeed knew the enemy would have to come over land to take the city.

Covering the large perimeter like loosely strewn gravel, mobile SAM-sites and heavy anti-air machineguns were set up, ready to deter any incoming forces from landing inside the city.

All in all, they were ready to face the incoming raiders. There was only one problem, a slight disadvantage that Zaeed knew they would have to work around. The colony's battalion consisted of just above ten-thousand battle-ready soldiers, plus the local militia and the few Farseekers dotting the occasional rooftop with snipers at the ready. So far, spotters had reported more than seven hundred dropships headed towards the ground outside the city, making large space between themselves and the anti-air inside the city. If each dropship held hundreds of hostiles, the defenders would be massively outnumbered. Outmanned and outgunned, there was no way around that fact.

Next to Zaeed, Sergeant Victor Kahowsky was preparing a massive light machinegun. Mounted on a bipod, he had a Revenant loaded and pointed at the flat farmlands opening up in front of the line of marines and soldiers crouching behind the barricade of overturned cars, riot shields and mobile covers of titanium used for cover in counter-terrorism ops.

"So, Massani. Who can get the highest kill-count on these fuckers eh?" The man said, his thick eastern European accent distinguishing him from most other men on the field. Zaeed gave the man a dry sneer and pulled the small bar on Jessie, cocking the rifle and causing a small scope to emerge from the back of it, turning it into an automatic mid-to-long distance sharpshooter.

"You're on old man." Zaeed said, giving the man a brief look. Victor Kahowsky was easily ten years older than him, bearing a long scar down his left forearm and sporting a moustache that would have put the WWI version of the British poster boys to shame. All in all, he looked like the stereotype Polish trooper, ready to kick the ass of anyone threatening the Alliance, and by extension Poland.

In the skies above them, Gunship-jockey Lieutenant Suzuki Anozito and his co-pilot Kedai Udieno flipped off the safety of their Wasps heavy-duty rockets and chin-mounted mass accelerators, as well as giving the greens to the two gunner positioned on each side of the gunship. They were flying at the lead of the squadron of ten Wasps, as well as thirty Mantis gunships.

In front of them, a swarm consisting of hundreds of hostile fighters and dropships were soaring towards the surface of the planet, eager to drop their loads of infantry and or vehicles. While the dropships did their part, the fighters were pulling up from their descent towards the surface and headed forward, straight towards the incoming colonial squadrons. Suzuki activated his comms;

"Alright boys, we've got guests at out front door. We need to buy the defenses as much time as we can, so let's give these guys a proper welcome. Wasps, lock on targets and await my orders to fire missiles. Mantis-crews, I want you to circle around their formations and hit them from behind while they focus on us slower targets. Remember, these guys have nothing to lose, everything to gain." He ordered, and then watched as the signals of each gunship activated and lit green. _Green across all boards…_ He thought, looking at the numerous approaching fighters with grim determination.

"Mantises, disperse and spread, disperse and spread. Wasps, locks confirmed. All gunships fire at will." He ordered, nodding to Kedai who pressed down on a small red button on the handles in front of him. Instantly, he felt a slight change in weight and stability as one pair of rockets, then another and another, left the storages on top of the gunship. Shortly after they were followed by hundreds of other rockets as the other gunships fired, drawing tails of thin smoke through the darkening sky.

As the rockets neared the fighters, they started evading in large numbers, spreading to the sides as the rockets started homing in on their targets, following the heat emissions from the fighters. Those fighters at the very back of the swarm apparently didn't see the rockets coming, and were indiscriminately cut down from the sky in large balls of fire and smoke, leaving no chance of the pilots having escaped.

"Good kills, good kills." He said, watching in satisfaction as the sky was filled with smoke and fire.

The second the fighters had either been shot down by or evaded the fired rockets, the rest of them swarmed towards the gunships, all of them opening fire in a stream of heated tungsten and lead accelerated to 1.02 percent of the speed of light. From one fighter, it would have looked dangerous, but fired by several hundreds of fighter-crafts, it looked downright surreal for the crew of the gunships.

As the opposing forces closed in, Suzuki opened the comms to the gunships under his command;

"All gunships, enemy is hot. You are weapons free, repeat you are weapons free. Good hunting boys." He deactivated the comms again, grabbing a hold of the controls as Kedai took over the guns.

And just as sudden as the enemy had appeared on the sky, they were among them, turning the orderly formation into a mess of gunships and fighters shooting at anything that didn't come up as friendly to the crafts' VI's.

To the side of the gunship, the two gunners were rotating and moving their turrets at a speed which made it look like they hardly had time to identify before shooting. Green beams of focused particles were fired from the dishes mounted at the end of the spheres, allowing the gunners to cut through anything not armored behind seven inches of solid titanium. As fighters sped past the gunship, Gunner corporal Richard Dales fired his weapon again and again, halfway observing in amazement how pure the thin beams looked as they penetrated the air, going on for what seemed like an eternity. In truth the beams only went a few kilometers before they couldn't penetrate the skin on a human's hand.

As the hostile crafts started turning around in the air, heading back for another strafe, he could feel the vibrations from the hull as dozens of rounds impacted on the reinforced P-steel, causing the noise inside the compartment meant for troops to reach an unbearable level. He could even hear it inside his own little ball of death.

As the fighters started coming back, the green beams grew in numbers as the gunships turned on the spot and allowed the gunners to pick their targets while attempting to avoid exposing them to too much incoming fire. Several of the fighters were cut in halves by the beams as they returned fire, causing them to simply fall apart without an explosion. The only fighters exploding were the ones hit in the fuel tanks. The others simply fell from the skies without a sound.

"I got one, I got one!" His fellow gunner, Ensign Dylan Owens shouted over the comms. The American always did feel like marking his territory on the battlefield by getting his first kill before Richard could even get a lock.

"Great, now shut it and keep shooting." He growled, letting another beam escape the dish, narrowly missing an incoming fire as it riddled the gunship with bullets, one of them impacting on the shields just in front of Dales, making him momentarily wince. Sneering with frustration, he kept shooting, gunning for masses of fighters clustered together in their turns.

Suddenly, a stream of bright yellow fire was unleashed against the hundreds of fighters, causing dozens of them to explode or simply fall to the ground while dragging long trails of black smoke and fire after them. Looking to his left, Richard Dales could just about see the shapes of the Mantis gunships as they joined the fray, letting loose their anger against the invaders.

A grim smile spread over his lips as he turned back to the shooting, finally managing to cut the wing of an incoming fighter, causing it to spin out of control and hit another fighter next to it, making both of them explode in fire and smoke;

"Top that one, Yankee!"

All of this, Zaeed could follow though his radio, watching with a predatory smile as the sky was practically turned into a carpet of smoke and fire, with green beams and tracers acting as the seams and treads in what he always called 'a work of art'.

A shout from the side drew his focus back to the situation around him, and looking though the scope of his gun, he could see the outline of not just enemy infantry, but rows of vehicles and tanks as well.

This was going to be grim.

…

October 30th

Location and time unknown.

A slight flicker of light intrudes into my personal hell, blinding me with its sheer brightness compared to the darkness in here.

Okay, so there's a light at the end of the tunnel… so to speak. I wonder what happens if I follow it. _Roku, is that you having finished up?_

No response. Okay, I suppose he hasn't, or he would be preaching and bragging about how great he is… or was… Hell if I understand all this, I just need to get up and get back to the crew.

Moving towards the flicker of light, I can start hearing voices. Or, I think they are voices. I'm not sure, but it sounds too irregular to be a machine's humming. I only slowly near the flicker, but with each mental step, I can feel a crawling sensation at the back of my mind, as if I can feel my back again, just without the physical feeling.

Despite the situation, I can't help to muse over how my expectations for how weird things can become, is always surpassed. Hell, it's been crossed and surpassed at least twice this month… I think. Are we still in October? Or how much time has passed? Am I really dead? Did Roku not get to fix me before Thane delivered me and I was… whatever was supposed to happen to me when I arrived.

It's funny though. I have no ill will against Thane, not even now. He killed me, but he didn't do it because he wanted to. Someone else used him as a weapon, and he doesn't feel like anything but a weapon, if I remember the right way. I doubt he has been changed by my being here, so he should still be religious, relatively innocent of mind, and a caring father… and have those freaky flashbacks.

I wonder if he's going to have one of me… something like 'target relaxing… my hands move, nothing disturbs the peace. The neck, a frail connection. I shatter it, broken bones and tendons snapping…' Yeah, that would be a bit freaky if I had that. Thank God I'm not a Drell… for more than one reason.

The voices are coming back, becoming clearer and clearer as I near the light. Now it feels like I have walked miles, yet I have hardly closed more than a few meters in on the light. Perhaps it's moving away from me? Maybe this is a mental struggle to repair myself?

Looking around, I realize that I am no longer alone.

Or, in a sense I am not, although I am not sure what… these are.

All around me, oily shadows have appeared, whispering to me in voices I can't understand, like in foreign languages. Most of them… they sound familiar, but I can't place them. Like they belong to people I know, but I can't recognize them.

"Thirty-eight… did you just hit me?" One of the voices say, sounding like a whisper, but pissed at the same time. There's no response though.

"My chest hurts! It hurts so bad…" Another voice calls out, this one a bit louder. This voice… I recognize.

"Bashir? Where are you?" I call out, not being able to see more than the darkness and the oily shadows, blocking my way into the light.

"It hurts! I want my mom!" He is crying. The words… those words were the ones he was screaming when we tried getting him to the med-bay. His last words…

"Bashir! Talk to me! Where-" That's when I see him. He's wearing the same jump-suit he was when we found and tried to save him. The front of it is smeared with blood, and his tanned face is pale as snow. He stands about ten meters from me, looking at me with dead eyes. _Oh for the love of God! I… I didn't…_

I try to move towards him, but it's like running in a thick soup. Each step is difficult, and only brings him farther away.

"Bashir!" I scream, causing him to look at me again. His eyes are dead, empty sockets. There is no life left in them as he suddenly starts drawing closer, walking towards me with a speed that doesn't match his steps. Slowly, his eyes start to glow.

This is wrong. I feel how his eyeless sockets are piercing my soul, hammering him with all the guilt I've felt ever since Chakwas placed his little body in the coffin next to Sev's.

"You." His words drill into my head. I can hear them inside my mind as well as outside it.

"Bashir… please! I didn't mean to-"

"You could have saved me." He raises a hand, pointing at me as he nears me. He's within five meters now, walking towards me at a slower pace.

"I tried! I didn't know you were-" I can feel my eyes start watering. The itching feeling that always announces tears fills my mind along with his voice. It cuts through my mind like a razor.

"You made me DIE!"

His eyes are shining now, emitting light as if they were torchlights, just emitting a sick yellow color instead of the bright white they should be…

"N-No! No I didn't! I couldn't have-"

Suddenly, he is right in front of me, bending downwards towards my face. I don't know how he is suddenly taller than me, but he grabs my head, now a physical thing, and leans in, the sick light from his eyes penetrating my vision and almost blinding me completely. Then… the screeching.

The same sick screeching the hallucinations emitted on Feros. The sound of nails on a board would be a bliss compared to the sound he is emitting. It is inhuman, demon-like in sound and color. With a desperate movement, I push myself away from him, trying to get away.

Running, I look back, seeing him standing where he stood before, but still nowhere near farther from me. It's like I'm not moving at all. _Roku! What is this!?_

No response and the sick screeching hasn't stopped.

"What do you want from me?!" I shout, running as fast as I can. Looking back again, Bashir is gone, as are the oily shadows. Only one remains. The screeching slowly fades and I force myself to slow down, eventually stop.

The last shadow floats towards me, sometimes forming the outline of a person, sometimes just being an oily cloud.

"What… what are you, what is… where am I?"

The shadow simply floats in front of me.

"You… made my sacrifice be in vain." The voice says a again. This time, I recognize it.

"Sev?" I can feel my head starting to spin. This is all just too much for my mind to take in.

"You made my sacrifice be in vain. I died for nothing." He repeats.

"No! No Scorch is alive. You saved him." I try, desperate to escape this living nightmare. Why… how, is this even happening?

"Murderer!" The shadow screams before dissolving, letting me see the flickering light again. The voices have all but stopped, having been reduced to the faint hum of a machine.

Clutching my head, I stumble towards it, wanting out of this living hell. The voices still haunt me, the image of bloodied and ghastly Bashir, the accusing voice of Sev. He called me a murderer… I haven't killed anyone, only the assassins, and that was in self-defense… _right?_

There is no answer; Roku isn't here to help me.

I mean, I killed the assassins because it was me or them… I even spared one, and I only killed those who threatened Kahoku's safety… I… was humane when I shot the last one… right? He didn't feel any pain… or was it a she? I… can't remember? I've… I've forgotten someone I killed! That… I shouldn't forget someone I've killed, that's just… wrong.

And… the last… Leng, he… I mean, he was evil, right? He killed a member of the Council, so he was evil… he had to be, he didn't even show fear… he just laughed or spat at me… he deserved what he got, they all did.

The light envelopes me, bathing me in it before I'm suddenly dragged out of it, out into the real world.

My body is physical again, as is a thundering headache I wake up with. I let a small groan out as I grab my temples, trying to force the headache out.

Slowly, I open my eyes, trying to see just where I am. The sight that meets me… I wouldn't call it a surprise, but definitely a shock. I mean, this was to be expected, I guess. With all I've done and such, but still…

I'm lying on a small table, completely naked and with all hair gone from my body. Even the ones on my genitals. I'm completely hairless, and my body is covered with markings, done with a blue marker. Numbers and symbols adorn me as I look over my own body. Slowly taking a hand to my head, I am relieved to find that besides being completely bald, my head is as it should be. No uncovered brain or scalped stuck in my skull. _This is definitely not right…_

"…_good… It worked… damn did it take me… a lot of effort…"_

"_Fuck! Roku, you okay?" _He sounds like someone beat the crap out of him… and that someone is probably my brain…

"_Fine… I really hate… working as a repairman…"_

"_Is there anything I can do? Like… meditate or try to shut off the world?"_ I try. I am not being stranded here with a spirit out of commission.

"_I head that… and no. Shutting off the… world, will not… not help here. I'm going to… take a nap, but I will open myself, so… so that you can use a fraction of my strength… it should keep you alive…"_

"_Fuck man… are you dying?"_

"_Pff… don't insult me. I'm just… tired, that's all…" _He says, and the faint humming he usually accompanies ends, just like that, leaving me alone.

"This is… not good…" I mutter, slowly sitting up. A bunch or wires and small pads are hanging on my head, and I move to remove them. Before I can even start though, I can hear voices nearby.

"-really need to get to his nerves now. I've had it with delays Langstrom." A woman says. I can't quite recognize it through the walls, but I'm guessing I'm the one in question here. Without fully knowing what to do, I lie back down on the table, trying to pretend I haven't woken up.

"Yes Miss Lawson. We'll get right to it." The man says. I'm guessing he is Langstrom. Isn't that a Norwegian name? I close my eyes, letting both be open just a fraction. I need to be ready to uppercut the bastard if he starts cutting me… wait a minute… Lawson?! Miranda?! _I'm in a Cerberus facility! And Miranda… this means Thane was paid and hired by The Illusive Man! And I just had to piss him off…_

A pair of doors close with a _swish_, and I can actually feel his presence, like an inner eye. I can just see him move about without looking at him. It's really strange, but maybe this is what Roku meant when he said he would let me use some of his powers.

"Alright, let's get this underway… Wilson, log-update please." Langstrom says, and a new man enters the room. _Wilson… where have I heard that name before…where have…_

"Yes Doctor." Wilson says, and instantly I recognize him. The bastard from the start of Mass Effect 2. I can feel the ager welling up inside me, causing my skin to feel like its boiling. Opening one of my eyes a tiny bit, the one on the opposite side of the two men, I can see the green lines slowly starting to appear on my body. They actually form a pattern, now that I can see all of them. _Okay, so anger and stress causes the lines to appear… useful…_

"Log-update: October 30th 2183. Doctor Eric Langstrom. I am going to start the desiccation of subject Thomas Fisher, Alliance corporal. Initial scans show no signs of modules in his body, and the only non-organic part is an extensive synthetic replacement of subjects left arm and eye. Reason unknown, but I'm guessing it is due to injury in duty. No weapons or modules in the prosthetics. The time is sixteen twenty-two. I am now beginning my work by laying the first cut on… hold… subject is… glowing… he didn't do this last time I checked… odd, green lines are forming all over his body in what appears to be intricate patterns and symbols… they aren't following the marker's lines… I have never seen anything like… Wilson, get Lawson down here. She needs to see this!" The man shouts, and Wilson rushes out the door, going to fetch Miranda.

I really wish I had pants on.

Near me, I can hear Langstrom put down his scalpel and turn on a sink. Splashing of water tells me he's probably washing or cooling his head. _Damn, I can scare the shit out of Cerberus's people…_

After a few moments, the doors open again, and I feel the presence of three people now. Miranda is one of them.

"What is it Doctor, I don't have…time… for…for… what the hell is that? Why is he glowing like that?" She sounds pissed as hell. Alright, so Miranda is fully aware of me having been killed and brought here, and she's okay with it. _Sorry Oriana, but you'll be an only-child soon._

"That's why I brought you here. I have never seen anything like this, and the sensors are picking up heat-signatures in his body and brain-activity… he's… he's active."

"What do you mean 'active'? His damn neck is broken in three places, he can't be active. What's next, he's going to wake up and talk?" Okay… this is just too tempting. Slowly, I turn my head to the side, opening my eyes.

"Sure, if that's what floats your boat Miri." I respond with a menacing chuckle, causing everyone in the room to jump into the air and turn to face me. Wilson looks horrified, Miranda too, with a bit of anger in there as well. Langstrom… he has a dark stain between his legs. _Ha! I made him piss himself!_

Seeing how none of them are saying anything, unless moving your mouth without sound is speaking, I smile grimly, slowly getting up from the table. It helps that my entire body is currently covered in green lines and cracks, making me look like a walking obelisk or ancient statue. And damn does it feel good.

"Well, didn't expect thát one, did you?" I ask with a smile as I look around for a piece of clothing. I'm so covered in light now that it won't matter, but I would still feel better with some pants on at least. Still no response, and I finally find what I'm looking for, pulling out a folded uniform from a drawer. It's Cerberus, but that hardly matters right now. As I'm pulling the pants on, I give Miranda an evil look;

"I have to say though… Hiring Thane Krios to take me out… that was pretty clever. He was the only one I didn't manage to discover in time… although you should have briefed him on one small detail." I say with a chuckle as I hold up an arm, studying the intricate and complicated patters adorning it. Finally, it looks like Langstrom has pulled himself together enough to speak;

"Wh- wha- wha…" Well, speak and speak… stutter is more like it. I just laugh, feeling the power run through my body. _Roku… I know you can't hear me right now, but thank you. I can really get used to this._

"The small detail? Oh, that's an easy one." I smile as I slowly walk up to the three people, now wearing a sleeveless Cerberus uniform. It's very tasteful really, and fits me like a glove… so to speak. I lean in towards them, noticing the biotic blur surrounding Miranda;

"I… can't… die." I finish with a smile as gloating as I can make it. Langstrom looks like he's going to pass out, and Wilson looks like he's close behind. Miranda though… she's an odd one. She just looks curious and pissed, but not that scared.

"And you… Miranda… you know, I really wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. Convincing myself you were one of the good guys… but you know what? That's when it hit me. I realized… I couldn't trust you. Being Tim's right hand, I knew you would have to have had a finger in everything that went on in Cerberus, every little dirty project… so, of course, you played a hand in the hell John went through. And of course, you had to play a hand in the project on Noveria…sad really, I know you are a loving and protecting big sister… or twin really, but now… " I say, feeling how I can actually control the power in my body. It burns, but not in the bad way. It's like being in the sun for too long, but before the scolding sets in. Focusing my mind on min right hand for a moment, I watch in satisfaction as green flame-like energy pours from my fingertips, becoming actual green fire as it merges over my palm.

"Now?" She asks, with a slight tremble in her voice. Her eyes show nothing but resentment, no fear, just resentment. I place my fingers on the table next to us, releasing the fire in my hand. It instantly burns through the table like a knife through hot butter, emerging on the other side.

Langstrom faints.

"Now I'm slightly pissed at you." I mutter menacingly, looking her in the eye. In the reflection of her blue eyes, I can see my own eyes. Just… where they used to be green with some yellow specks, now my eyes are green orbs without Iris or pupil. Just glowing green.

I look like a demon. Which I suppose is pretty fitting.

"What are you going to do now?" She sneers. Oh yes, her burning hatred for me is formed and based upon her not knowing anything about how I know what I know.

"Well… I was…" I say, but I can instantly feel a group of ten people running towards the room we're in. I look back at Miranda; "Seems we're having guests… you know, instead of simply punishing Oriana by taking her sister from her… how about I give a live demonstration instead?" I say, feeling a grim smile spread on my face. These people are Cerberus, and they had me killed and taken. In other words: free game. Before Miranda can even answer, still leaning backwards against the wall along with Wilson, the door opens and a group of ten people point guns at me, some of them briefly lowering their guns upon seeing what I looks like now.

I bet none of them expected their latest experiment to get up and threaten the doctors. One of them, probably the leader, steps forward, a large Carnifex pointed at my head;

"Hey freak! Step away from the director and lower your… weapon." The last word comes out as more of a hesitant punctuation than an actual order. Yeah, none of them have seen something like me before.

"Hey, hey it's cool. I was just having a chat with my old friend Miranda here. You know, the one who probably ordered Krios to take my life. Also, death is highly overrated…" I say with a smile as I flicker a small flame of green energy from my hand, enjoying the look of disbelief in their eyes. It does annoy me though, that they are all dressed in phase-II armor. _So Cerberus really did steal the plans for those…_

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" The leader snaps at me, walking towards me with the gun pointed… at me. He looks a bit frightened actually. I suppose he has never been in a hostage situation where the opponent was a living corpse. _Should I do the zombie-walk? No… no I should have done that as the first thing then…_

Focusing on him, and him alone, I can feel how energy is rushing through me, and before anyone can even blink, me included, I'm holding his throat in a chocking grip. The fear and disbelief in his eyes, as well as the looks in the others', fills me with a weird satisfaction. _They are scared of me._

"Tell me… do you fear death?" I ask the man in my best imitation of Davy Jones, moving his face a bit closer to mine. I'm actually a bit taller than him, and the way I'm holding him lets him float a few inches above ground.

"Let him go Fisher!" Suddenly I can feel a gun pressed against the side of my head. Turning to face Miranda, I have to wonder just where she hid that gun. Not _on_ her suit, that much I could see before… _women and the places they hide things…_

"Come on Miranda. Why don't you check if that bullet actually _can_ put me down? Oh wait, then you would ruin the precious brain I have, wouldn't you?" I ask while not letting go of the man. He's starting to gain a new color in his face, I can see in the corner of my eye. Looking back at Miranda, her gun is still pointed against my forehead, a look of doubt in her eyes. As well as a look of totally pissed off.

"Just… let him go." She says, not moving the gun an inch from my forehead.

"I might, but give me a reason, one that makes sense as to why I should." I say, feeling how the man is clawing at my hand, but burning his fingers on the green energy currently coating my body. A few scorch marks are starting to appear on the uniform I wear as well. Clothes and burning skin don't mix… I have to remember that.

"He hasn't done anything against you." She says, looking between me and the squad of guards surrounding us. I wonder if I can actually die for good if they all shoot at the same time, but for some reason, I don't really worry about it.

"Oh? Then who is to blame for me being here? Is it one of the other guards, Miranda? Is it Wilson or Langstrom here?" I ask, giving the unconscious man a light tap with my bare feet. I wish I'd found some shoes as well. Miranda doesn't say a word, just keeping the gun at my forehead.

"What do you want Fisher? An apology? You shouldn't even be alive!" She sneers, and the look of doubt is slowly replacing the confusion in her eyes.

"Ah yes, but that is the beauty of it all, isn't it? The unexpected little things that can mess up your day. Take me for example… which you did, mind you. I was minding my own business, just doing my job and keeping an honest and good man safe. Then suddenly 'snap', and I'm dead. Or, clinically that is… I have to admit though, that word never really meant much to me… now, I'm on one of your facilities… not Cronos though… this looks more like a research than a Head Quarter… speaking of which, I'm guessing Jack is gonna be boiling when he finds out his newest subject walked out the door… but back to me. You fucked up my day… and I probably pissed on the floor when Thane grabbed me… and now I'm here. To compare… this guy… sorry, I don't think I got your name?" I ask, holding a bit looser on the guy's throat. He gasps for air, the deep red in his face slowly turning pink again.

"I- Gaspar de Nôs… please…" He says, but squeezing a bit tighter, I manage to make him quiet again.

"Now… to compare, Gaspar here probably had a long week planned out for him. Who knows maybe a hot date? Now, if I broke his neck or choked him, that would mess up _his_ schedule, wouldn't it?" I put some emphasis on my point by gripping him a little harder with my left hand, wondering just how tight those synthetic fingers can squeeze.

"What do you want? You know we can't let you walk out of here, not with everything you know." Miranda says, her voice holding a slight tone of pleading this time.

"My dear Miranda… I'm not asking. I am however, giving you a choice. You can let me go free and with no issues, and I won't kill every single person on my way around until I find a shuttle. Do not allow me to leave however, and I _will_ kill everyone I find on this station. Regardless of age and gender. I suggest you decide before Gaspar here runs out of air." I say, gesturing to the man in my grip. His face is turning an odd purple now, leading the thoughts to a cartoon-character. _Didn't Goofy once strangle himself because he thought his ass was a ghost?_

"Take him down, no head-shots!" Miranda shouts, prompting the guards to start firing at me. _I guess it will be the hard way then…_ I'm really glad I was right earlier. The green energy actually acts as a shield against the bullets. Like a biotic barrier. When they have all, including Miranda and Wilson, finished shooting and their guns are overheated, the only change is that Gaspar has a few holes in his legs, bleeding quite profusely.

Upon hearing the mass of rifle-alarms signaling overheating, I look around, meeting the terrified eyes of each of the guards.

"My turn." I say, throwing Gaspar into another guard, hearing the sound of a few bones breaking. I then allow the green fire to flow from my fingers, lashing out in a circle around me. A few of the guards aren't fast enough to jump backwards and avoid me, and upon contact with the green flames, their flesh and skin starts melting and burning, accompanied with ear-piercing screaming as the people in question fall to the ground, clutching at large gaping and sizzling wounds and holes in their flesh. Things such as clothing or armor don't actually do anything to stop the energy from tearing through them. I feel a bit sick from watching them writhe on the ground with blood and tissue pouring from their wounds, but the gunfire from the rest of them snaps my attention back to the remaining five people shooting at me.

Noticing that both Miranda and Wilson are firing at me as well, I turn around while the rounds impact on my body, simply evaporating as they hit me. _I need to tell Roku to let me do this more often… I'm fucking invincible... although I'm probably getting the headache of the century after this… ah well, give and get… _I grab Miranda's gun before crushing it with my synthetic hand, watching her eyes widen in shock as I toss her body at the wall, her biotics cushioning the fall a bit. I then turn to Wilson who simply drops his gun and crawls away from me, all color having left his face. Picking up his gun, I look at it for a moment, turning it over in my hands.

I then point it at him, and put a few rounds in his legs.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that. Tell the Broker he can sod off." I sneer, then whipping him in the head with the gun, knocking him out.

"How the fuck is he still standing!?" Ah yes, I still have those… four, to deal with. Seeing how I look at them, one of them briefly lowers his gun, a look of fear and dread in his eyes.

"Oh, that's a secret…" I mutter as I pick up Wilson and throw his unconscious body towards the guards, knocking all but one of them down. I let a small smile protrude my lips as I walk towards the last standing guard, a pale-faced woman whose hands are trembling on her gun, looking at me as if I had become Lucifer himself… considering the fact that I just shrugged off volleys of gunfire, maybe that's not too far from the truth.

"Now, I don't really enjoy killing women, so why don't you just give me that gun and lie down on your stomach?" I ask, making my voice as friendly as someone who just spent forty-eight hours being dead can… it's not much, I'll be the first to admit that.

"You- you'd just kill me easier then!" She is actually crying. Thin lines of tears are forming on her cheeks, making me cringe a little. Just because I enjoy using the power Roku gave me to get some payback, it doesn't mean I enjoy inflicting suffering on people. Especially not women.

"I could kill you with a flicker of my wrist right now if I wanted. Why would I waste time getting you on the ground then?" I ask, holding up my hands to show that I'm not pointing any 'biotic' weapons at her.

"What… what are you?" She stutters while getting down on the ground. I pick up her gun from the ground, a Carnifex… with some weird muzzle extension, like an extra few inches ending in a cross-like tip. _I think I'll hang on to this one…_

"Oh, just an average guy. Just like you don't work for a terrorist organization. Now, this may hurt a bit." I say, and before she can protest, look or ask, I knock her in the back of the head with the pistol's grip, knocking her unconscious as well. Looking to the side, I can see Miranda starting to move again, and with none of the security-officers having called for back-up, I have time for a short chat before I need to get moving. Eventually, someone has to look at the cameras undoubtedly hidden in the room and outside it.

I grab Miranda at the waist, then placing her over my shoulder before walking to the table I woke up on. Placing her down there, I notice a few belts adorning the table, probably meant to hold subjects down with. _Oh, the irony! _I allow myself a smile as I strap Miranda in on the table, securing her hands, body and legs with the belts.

In hindsight, I am surprised these things are even still in use.

Content with my arrangements, I tap Miranda on the side of the head, careful to use the left hand so I don't burn the flesh off her head. That would be a bit extreme… though… looking at the now dead guards I hit with the green flames, I guess 'extreme' is a relative word.

"Wake up Miranda. We're going to have a little chat." I say, tapping her face again. She responds by opening her eyes, looking briefly at me and the people covering the floor, back to me and finishing by spitting me in the face. Wiping it off, I just nod.

"Hmm hmm… you aim better than Mister Leng at least… then again, I _did_ crush a dozen bones in his body and castrated him with a punch… oh, and knocked a pair of teeth from his mouth… wait, was that before or after I crushed his hands?" I ask myself, enjoying the look of disbelief in her eyes. Still, I know she is a good person… somewhere deep down, so I'm not going to kill or maim her. Despite the temptation to do so being quite great.

"The hell do you want now? To rape me? I tried that enough before I escaped to Cerberus." She sneers, and I can practically _see_ the memories fill her eyes.

"Hmm… I thought you fled home at the age of somewhere between twelve and fifteen? Though, I have to admit, ol' daddy really was a pig when he couldn't even find a woman to get you with. Speaks for his charm when he had to build you and Oriana." I say with a small laugh, looking at her face and body. Had I been a worse person, or just not in a relationship, I might even have considered it. She _is_ the definition of 'hot' after all… still, I prefer people who don't order hits at people they don't like.

"Still, I am not going to force myself upon you in that sense. You're not as attractive that you can make me cheat on someone else, you know." I reply with a more serious voice. Her face briefly shifts into some more… relieved contours, before resuming the look of anxiousness and hate.

"Then what? Torture? From what I've been told, you're clearly not above that." She sneers. _Damn, I shouldn't have mentioned Leng… whatever, done is done…_

"Maybe. You see, none of these fine guards thought of calling for backup against one man, so we have some one-on-one time, the two of us. And I'd like to use it to get a few pieces of information from you. No worries, it doesn't concern Cerberus secrets as such, I already know all there is to know there… no, I am more curious about your involvement in the abduction and capture of John'Shepard. Oh and do refrain from lying… I can tell if you do."

"Go to hell!" She sneers, struggling against the restraints. I just shake my head, resting it in a hand as I stand above her.

"Been there, boring as… well, as hell." I say with a smile, causing some color to drain from her face.

"What… are you?" She asks with a small voice. The hate is gone now, replaced with fear and confusion. I shrug my shoulders, giving her a smile.

"I swear, is that _all_ you people can ask? Who are you? What are you? How did you do that? Divines, it is annoying. To tell you the truth Miranda, I'm just a regular Alliance Marine. I fight for what's good, and I shoot what's bad. Also I kiss pretty women on the side, but unfortunately for your chances, they have to be kind as well, not ice-queens married to their work."

"Are you going to kill me?" She asks with a now calm voice. Looking into her eyes, I really can't judge whether she's pissed, scared, relieved or confused.

"Hey, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done so on the Normandy. No… I have some… plans, for you. In time, you will carry them out and not even know it, but for now… were you involved in the torture and experimentation on the Quarian John'Shepard nar Rayya, and or did you know about it at the time?" I ask, now with a more serious voice. She has to tell me the truth if I am supposed to spare her life, which I would prefer above ripping her head off.

"No." She says, and I can instantly feel a small voice screaming "liar" about her. I just sigh, touching one of my glowing fingers against the palm of her hand. The reaction is instant, and lifting my finger again, I discover a small burn on her skin, smelling sickening sweet. Biting her lip, Miranda refuses to scream, only letting a few tears emerge from the edge of her eyes.

"Fucking… prick." She sneers. _Yep, the hate is back on… well, she lied to me so…_

"I told you that I didn't like liars… and don't worry, a few weeks, and that mark will be gone again. Now, tell me the truth or I bring you with me and introduce you to my girlfriend." I say with a small smile, enjoying the confusion mixing with the pained expression on her face.

"How the hell would that be worse?" She sneers, and I think back to what the others told me about Ash's reaction towards Jane after Feros.

"Well, the last time I died, she nearly tore the captain's head of, and that was an ally, a friend… imagine what she would do to a terrorist. Now, the truth." I say the last words with a more forceful tone, hovering a finger over a new spot on her arm. The bodysuit would probably look a little weird with a hole burnt through it.

"I said I didn't know anything about it!" She shouts at me, looking like her eyes could tear Saren apart just by looking at him. I sigh, burning through the suit over her arm. Before I press down, I look her in the eyes, feeling a little wrong for doing this, but I want the truth, even though I know now that she _did_ have something to do with it. I still want to know exactly _what_.

"Miranda… do I really have to?" I ask, looking at her pained face. Apparently the burn hurts a bit more than I thought.

"Go and fuck yourse-gaahh!" With a sad shrug, I press down on her skin, leaving it a little longer this time. As a result, the area is a bit darker, and smells a bit more distinct.

"For the love of Mara! Just tell me the truth Miranda. I know it doesn't look like it, but I don't want to do this to you. Just tell me the truth and I'll leave you alone."

"Yeah right! You won't just burn the flesh off my bones the second I budge. I know your type all too well Fisher." She sneers, a few more tears rolling down her face.

"Really? Do tell." I say, walking away from the table. After a few seconds, I find what I was looking for. Returning with the canister, I gesture for her to elaborate.

"You all act like you fight the good fight. But the second you get power, you lose all sense of moral and go on a trip, hurting those not following your orders. Like now. You killed all those guards-"

"Because you ordered them to shoot. And for the record I only killed about five. The rest are just out cold." I say, interrupting her by holding up a finger.

"But you've got what you wanted, haven't you? You've got no one between you and the exit, so why are you still here? For fun? For revenge?" She sneers, and actually causes me to recoil a bit. Some of her words earlier held some merit. I need to control myself when I'm infused with Roku's powers, not start contemplating my actions afterwards when people are dead because of me.

"I am still here, because I owe it to John to find out who was involved in his abduction, and why." For some reason, my answer causes her to stop talking, and look at me like I just sprouted horns.

"You're doing… _this_… for a Quarian? Why?" She asks, and her voice has become a lot smaller all of a sudden.

"Because, just like you would do whatever you could to help Jacob, I do what I can to help those I care for Miranda." I say, sitting against the table with a tired sigh, feeling the burning sensation in my skin slowly fade away. The lines are becoming less clear now, and the glow is dimming.

"… Fine…" She says, causing me to look at her again.

"What?" I ask, looking at her with eyes, tired from mental and physical exhaustion. _And all this because I pissed of the Illusive Man… how the universe has changed because of me…_

"I said fine. I was involved in the research on the biotic modules we inserted into his cranium, as well as overseeing the reports Foster delivered until Shepard broke free and reduced him to a three-fingered dead-weight. I didn't ever actually see, touch or speak to Shepard, but I was the director or the project. You can tell him that… But, now what?" Miranda asks, looking at me with both doubt and a small amount of fear.

I can understand her. She just admitted to having been the director of the project that caused John to suffer from seizures. _I really wish Chakwas had told us before he was sent in a catatonic state… he never even told me or Tali about the seizures, I mean what the hell was he thinking? He should at least trust Tali with everything… so why not?_

"Now? Now…" I mutter, opening the canister and bringing it against her skin.

"What are you doing?" She asks, fright in her voice as she can't turn her head to see the medi-gel dispenser. Soon though, the soothing gel causes her to wince slightly before looking at me with changed eyes.

"Why?" She mutters as I coat the burns in the thick fluid, then placing it on the table. I think this is the first time I've heard her voice being humble. It really doesn't suit her as much as I had hoped it would. I sigh, pulling up a chair next to the table, then sit in in with its back against my chest.

"Miranda…" I start, then realizing I have no idea how to continue. For a few moments, neither of us speak, her just looking at me as much as her restrained head allows for it.

"I know you hate me, and it's probably well justified… I haven't exactly made it easy on you when we've met or talked, and I even threatened Jacob after he saved our lives…" Once again, I end up stopping, not knowing where to go from here. Instead I look around in the room, wincing at the sight of the dead guards.

"I'm sorry, is what I guess I'm trying to say… I'm not really myself when I… let loose like that, and I never wanted to kill anyone… though I still don't know whether or not I regret killing that Leng operative… but I'm sorry, for what I did to you. Both the psychological and the… physical torment I've caused you." I say, then closing my eyes as I let my head fall into my hands. If someone tries to storm the room, at least I can just storm out and leave them to free her.

But right now, I'm sick of fighting and killing other people.

"You… what?" She asks with disbelief in her voice.

"What?"

"You're sorry? What do you mean you're sorry? You just woke up after a hit we ordered on you, and you're sorry? No offence, but what the hell is wrong with your head?" She demands, almost sounding pissed that I regret hurting her and the guards.

"I'm just not… Miranda I fight for humanity. I don't see killing other people as a part in protecting those I care for. I… I can kill geth without feeling bad, but… don't tell me you don't know what I mean." This has escalated entirely different from how I imagined it. I didn't plan on talking to her on a friendly basis when I tore the guards to pieces, but then again, I didn't plan on any of this.

It just feels wrong to have her or Jacob as my enemies, seeing how I know they fight for what they believe in: Wanting to protect humanity from all threats. They have wrong methods when going about doing it, but I still feel wrong about having either of them on the other side of my weapons. I'm snapped from my inner argument when Miranda sighs in her place, causing me to look up.

"I know. I don't exactly enjoy it when I take a life, even when it's not a human. If anything I'm glad I was wrong about you earlier, with the whole 'prick on a power trip' thing… but why are you still here? I have told you all you wanted to know, why haven't you escaped yet?" I suppose she has a point there. It seems odd that I'm still here, and even odder that I'm spending my time talking to her. Not even half an hour ago, she wanted to cut up my cold dead body.

"Honestly? I don't know… maybe I just wanted to talk to you, you know? Try to make you realize I'm not some over-informed idiot you need to chase down and kill for the sake of Cerberus… I know, or at least I believe, that I can trust you enough to actually…" I start, slowly unstrapping one of her arms; "…release you." Due to either total surprise or lack of words, Miranda doesn't say a thing besides slowly moving her mouth as I undo the restraint on her other arm, allowing her to undo the remainders herself.

She slowly sits up, having removed the restraint on her head. I sag back into the chair as she removes the final restraints, getting off the table with a small amount of uncertainty. Rubbing her wrists, she looks at me, just looks.

"I'm glad you haven't instantly tried turning me into a stain on the wall…" I muse, observing how Miranda simply looks like I just turned into Jacob with Jack Harper's face.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you have settled my doubts. Underneath the shell of the Ice-Queen, you are human, just like me. Well, I may not be the best example, but the point is that I can trust you to not simply try and shoot me in the back… speaking of… are my things around here?" I ask, pointing out the fact that I'm only wearing a single layer of clothing, and that it's chaffing a bit in places.

Miranda looks torn for a moment, then gestures for a locker in the wall. Following her directions, I open it to find my armor and clothes stacked nicely inside it. Without bothering to look at her or to cover myself, I take off the Cerberus uniform and pull out my own clothes, trying to forget that Miranda is standing right behind me, probably averting her eyes.

"What are you going to do now?" She asks as I pull my shirt and uniform over my head, then reaching for the first piece of armor.

"I could ask you the same thing, you know? Aren't you supposed to raise the alarm and call more guards?" I ask with a shrug as I secure the breastplate, tightening the straps around my lower torso. It's always hell to put on, especially the arms.

"I don't know… for the first time in over a year, I don't know what to do… you are trying to escape Cerberus custody, but for some reason I think humanity will be better off with you out there, not tied to a metal table." I turn around, having clasped the leg guards around my thighs and sealing them shut. I can't help but let a small smile protrude on my lips as I look at her.

The face of the hard and cold woman who would gun down anyone opposing her plans is gone, replaced with the face of the more open and human Miranda I got to know in the games. She's actually quite striking when she isn't cold and calculating in appearance.

"You're sure? You know Harper will demand to know who is responsible for the escape of an assumed dead person. And how will you explain my reawakening? The hammer's gonna fall, and it's pretty likely it will fall on you…" I say, giving her a questioning glance as I put on the armored boots, interlocking them with the armor covering my legs. Finally, I take the helmet in my left hand, dimly noting all the scrapes and small scratches it has collected over time. Looking up again, I discover Miranda holding out a pistol, namely the one I snatched earlier on. _She actually took it without me noticing it…_ I wonder as I accept it, giving her a small nod.

"I'll figure something out…" She says, looking like she doesn't fully believe it.

"I know. You always do." I say with a thin smile, placing the helmet over my head, sealing myself inside it. I have a nagging feeling in my chest that, despite me having freed Miranda again, tells me there's something I have to do. As I holster the pistol in my belt, I sigh, scratching the neck of my armor.

"Look… I really shouldn't tell you this… Mainly because me telling stuff… has a habit of biting me in the ass… but you should… probably have a talk with Nicket about Oriana, and in person… just calling him up is a bad idea." I can practically _feel_ Roku kicking my ass for revealing things like this, but I always hated the way that confrontation turned out.

Miranda looks every amount of the confusion I expected;

"What do… why are you saying that?"

"Just trust me. If you do as I say, there's a good chance things will turn out for the better for your sister in the future." I say, grimacing behind my visor. _Fucking idiot! You just changed events that take place in more than two fucking years! What the hell are you thinking?!_

Yeah, my brain is smarter than me for once, scolding me for letting my mouth run free like that. I can already imagine the shit that comes out of this, Oriana could be caught much later on because her pursuers weren't killed by the team when they tracked her to Illium with Nicket's help. Nicket might reveal Oriana's location much sooner, or-

"Thank you." _Wait what?_

I open my eyes again, having closed them shut while cursing my own stupidity. Miranda not only listened to me, she actually believed me? She looks downtrodden, but at the same time relieved as if someone were just saved in front of her. I can feel my head starting to spin slightly at the realization. I bet there are going to be severe implications for this, but I think maybe this is one of those times where I don't mind the change in universal events.

"Don't mention it; just tell Nicket, that if he ever fucks up and does something stupid, I'm coming for him." I say, heading towards the door. Reaching it, I palm the interface, giving Miranda one last look. Aside from the burn marks, she looks like a person changed for the better.

Giving her one final nod, I exit the room, closing the door behind me. _Now I just need to find wherever they keep the shuttles, and pray to God I can actually steer one…_

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**Alright, leave your spare-change at the... sorry, wrong audience... leave a Review, is what I meant, and for me to get better, adress whatever you would like to from... wait, I'm most likely just discouraging reviews now... forget I said anything.**

**Still, as always reviews are appreciated, no matter if they are the day after this chapter, or the year after. I enjoy reading them.**


	38. Prison Break

**Briefly considered naming this one 'Big pain in small package', but it just didn't sound right... you'll know what I mean when you've read the chapter :)**

**A difficult part of my writing lately is getting everything down. We have only a few OC's, but plenty of well known people such as Zaeed and Gerrel, Udina and Chambers, the Normandy crew and Thomas, not to mention Anna and Hacket, and maybe soon Shala'Raan if Price makes friends with her instead of Xen making him her new vibrator... I didn't just write that... Oh boy, I did...**

**Anyway, inspired by one of my readers, you know who you are, I'll just say this:**

**Mivpus used 'New Chapter'**

**Is it effective?**

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Prison Break

October 30th

Elysium, Illyria

00:09

"Get down!" Zaeed shouted, watching as a marine near him was torn in half by a series of heavy slugs, covering the ground around him in blood and gore.

It had been four hours since the first of the pirates had started landing, and now they had overrun the perimeters, killing people indiscriminately as they poured over the barricades, completely ignoring the rain of fire teams of Farseekers and machine gunners unleashed upon them. Zaeed had watched one of them as they slaughtered their way through the streets, using the dead as shields against the torrent of fire being poured at them from all angles.

Leaning out of the ruined building, Zaeed rested Jessie against a small window frame that had yet to be blown away, sighting down a Batarian running down the street with a rocket launcher in his hands. The distance was only thirty meters, and as Zaeed pressed the trigger, he flashed a predatory grin, watching as the heavy rounds tore through the slaver's shields.

"Good night." He muttered, sighting in on another raider leaning out of a doorway.

Next to the lieutenant, a couple of marines were manning a heavy machinegun, letting loose bursts of fire as they overlooked a crossroad near the entrance to the city, as well as two Farseekers lying prone in the rubble a few meters to his left, a heavy caliber rifle in the hands of one as he rained death down on those unfortunate enough to be caught in his sights. Despite the heavy casualties on both sides, the Alliance and Quarian forces had been able to slow down the raiders' approach, making each meter lost a meter paid for with Batarian blood.

The battle for air-dominance had turned from a one-sided slaughter to a desperate struggle for survival as new waves of fighters and gunships had poured down from orbit, joining the fray and causing massive casualties on the Alliance's side. Zaeed had no idea what had happened to the Migrant Fleet's ships, nor did he understand why the colony's fighter crafts hadn't joined the battle.

Down on the ground the battle had been even bloodier. The Apocalypses had proven their worth as they blasted countless hostile armor to dust, but when faced with swarms of rockets, their shielding and armor simply couldn't take the punishment. Those tanks that hadn't managed to pull away from the line of fire had been destroyed by large amounts of anti-tank fire. These weren't just the average mercs or pirates.

These people had come prepared.

A series of shots rang out, bullets strafing the building from a machinegun mounted on an IFV, the driver gunning the vehicle through the streets. A sharp cry of pain went out as someone close to Zaeed was hit. Briefly looking up from his scope, he saw the Quarian in a deep blue suit slump to the ground, faintly purple blood seeping from a large crack in his helmet.

"Massani! My spotter is dead. I need you to give me some targets." The Quarian with the sniper rifle called out, making Zaeed shuffle in place as he crawled over to the Quarian sniper. Positioning himself next to the marine, he grabbed a pair of heavy binoculars from the dead Quarian, pressing them to his eyes as he scanned the road in front of them. He quickly spotted the first target, a Batarian squad of five moving along the walls on the far side of the street.

"Eleven-o-Clock, two-hundred meters front. Five man squad. See them?"

"See them." The marine answered, adjusting his scope as he lay on his stomach, then pressed the rifle against a special padding on his visor. A moment passed as he aimed before pulling the trigger on the rifle, sending a heavy slug towards the raiders. It killed the man before Zaeed even heard the shot being fired, instead just watching as the rest of the squad sped for cover, another one of them had his head torn off as a second bullet was fired, painting the white walls behind him with dark matter and tissue.

As the Batarians took cover behind a burning tank, the third shot rang out, catching one of them in the stomach as the rifle clicked empty. One of the disadvantages when using gunpowder-propelled weapons, was the fact that it used ammunition instead of a heatsink. Still, the Black Widow was one hell of a rifle in Zaeed's eyes. One shot was sufficient to shatter shields, breach armor and take the torso out on any foe within two kilometers.

The kickback being sufficient to dislodge a shoulder was just a small detail the professional snipers worked around.

As Zaeed listened to the red-suited marine reload the rifle, he looked through the binoculars again, observing as the remaining two men huddled closer against the tank. However, they were still visible. Meaning the Farseeker could still take one of them down before the last man would realize he was fucked and attempt to run. They always did.

A new bang roared from the building, causing the walls behind the tank to be coated in brain-matter as the fourth Batarian was beheaded by the bullets, causing the last man to get up and run, placing himself directly in the Farseeker's sights.

A final shot rang out, the bullet's momentum sending the body of the Batarian tumbling across the ground before it came to rest with a good chunk of its chest missing.

"Good riddance…" Zaeed muttered, scanning the streets for the next target. Suddenly he felt something land on his head, then another and another droplet impacted on his bare head, his helmet having been destroyed when a sniper had zeroed in on him, the bullet shattering his helmet's visor and rendering it useless.

"Typical, it always rains in warzones… what's next, lightning?" He growled, looking through the sights as the team of marines next to him stopped shooting, one of them turning to look at him.

"Well Massani, at least it aint snowing, yes?" The Polish sergeant said, causing a few chuckles from the men in the room, most of them focusing on gunning down their enemies with concentrated rifle fire or rockets.

"Go fuck yourself, you still have a helmet." He sneered, watching as the Pole tapped his head slightly before returning to the gun.

"Massani, what… Keelah, everyone get dow-" The Quarian shouted, but was cut off as the tank he had spotted fired on their position, tearing a good chunk of the room out, as well as the machine gunners next to Zaeed, their screams silenced before they had even realized what happened. As Zaeed looked to his left, he found that where Victor Kahowsky had been just a moment before, the entire floor and wall had been destroyed, most of it sent spewing out on the far side of the building.

"Fucking God dammit Hell!" He swore, more than pissed that half of the men still alive from the first clash had now been killed in a single blow, leaving him with one Farseeker and three marines, one of them sporting a hand less than he had a few hours ago.

"Lieutenant! It's going to shoot again!" One of the marines shouted, pointing at the tank as its barrel was aimed directly at where they were sitting.

"Get off the building!" Zaeed shouted, shoving his men down the stairs before grabbing the Farseeker by the arm and yanking him off the ground, almost kicking him down the stairs. He started running himself at that point, only a few meters between him and the stairs.

Everything was turned upside down as the tanks fired again, the shell blowing the part of the building Zaeed was standing in apart and sent him flying in a shower of debris. As he hurtled towards the ground, he managed to get turned around and kick his feet together, activating the thrusters inbuilt in the heavy boots. He managed to slow down enough for him not to break a bone when he tumbled down the hills of shattered concrete and steel, ending up lying on his back as he felt the heavy drops hit his face with far too much power, adding to his already throbbing migraine.

…

October 31th

SSV Normandy, Citadel

09:21

Ashley Williams headed down the ramp, followed closely by Nikolai Tengberg, the ship's cook and makeshift member of the ground-team, as well as the one person she knew Thomas trusted as much, if not more than her. Both were somewhat worried, given the fact that Jane and Liara had sent a message stating that something had happened, and she had yet to receive a response from Thomas regarding the latest mail she had sent him.

There were indications, but both kept telling themselves that it was nothing. The guy had survived worse than being a bodyguard, and besides he had Roku. What could go wrong?

Standing in front of the elevator to the C-Sec headquarters, Jane, Liara and Admiral Kahoku were standing in full gear, which for the admiral simply meant his dress uniform. Ashley's eyes narrowed instantly, realizing that Thomas wasn't in the group.

A fact that was made even clearer by the fact that Jane was holding a bunch of excessive weapons, including the sword Ashley had made for her boyfriend turned lover. There was no reason why Jane should be carrying that around.

As they reached the group, the Normandy crew saluted. Both to the admiral, but also to Jane, seeing how she was now the temporary leader of the mission, with John being incapacitated in the med-bay. Due to the hope of the commander regaining himself, he would not be ferried off to the hospital, but rather, they would requisition a psychologist to help Chakwas bring the commander back to full health.

"Williams… I didn't want to tell over a message…" Jane started, causing all of Ash's inner alarms to go off. That short sentence alone told her that something was very, very wrong

"Where's Thomas?" Tengberg asked, voicing the question most of the crew had as they looked for the corporal. Ashley could hear the anxiousness in his voice, as well as see the color drain from Jane's face, making her hair stand on end and her heart almost stop.

"I… we don't know... Just… he went to the restrooms and when he hadn't come back an hour later, I went to check and… and his things were on the floor but he was gone… "Jane said, bracing herself for the outburst she was sure would come over her like a storm.

Instead, she could only see how the color drained from Ashley's face, leaving it the color of a corpse. She seemed to age years in a moment, and simply stood still, looking at Jane with empty eyes.

"Shepard, what the flying fuck do you mean 'he's gone'? I swear, if you're telling me he's dead, and you didn't prevent it…" Nikolai growled, pointing a finger at Jane, looking like he was ready to tear the head straight of her shoulders.

"He's not dead…"

Both he and Jane turned to look at the source of the voice, finding it to be Ashley, standing near the edge of the ramp, looking over the docks.

"Ash?" He started, slowly approaching her.

If she had somehow snapped at the news, he had to make sure she didn't jump. It was a long way down.

"He's not dead." She stated again, this time more firm in her words.

"I don't believe it either, but… how can you be sure?" He asked, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder, gently dragging her back from the edge.

"He's not dead… I… I don't know how to… to explain it… but…but…I just… know it." She stuttered, on the verge of breaking down. Behind them, Wrex was looking between the groups with disdain, not sure if he should be pissed, somehow relieved or sad.

Thomas was insane, there was no questioning that. But he was the good sort of insane, the sort who cared more about his closest than about his own life. Granted, he had a spirit to revive him, so that was more of a detail. Still, Wrex almost liked the human, as much as he also felt weirded out by him. He was warm, and not one of the typical humans, sucking up to the council and agreeing that the Genophage was the one true way and all Krogan should dig their own graves and die.

There was no way he could have just bought it in a shitter. Wrex felt confident about that.

"She's right boy. No way someone could just off him in a shitter. He's alive… we just have to find him, that's it." He said, making his voice as optimistic as he could. A difficult thing when your entire life had consisted of being dragged through a metaphorical sewer.

"Then… where the fuck is he? I don't know about you Wrex, but I don't see a fucking green fairy shoving a star-chard in our faces, so forgive my somewhat fucking pissing bad mood!" Nikolai ended up shouting, causing his otherwise pale face to turn into a deep red.

"I don't know… somewhere… either here on the station, or… or out there…" Wrex mumbled, halfway acknowledging that he was staring out into the nebular.

…

_Okay… where the hell am I? _

When I woke up here, I thought this was a space station, but so far I have seen more than one window in this facility, and last time I checked trees didn't grow in outer space. Neither did birds or mountains.

This entire place is filled with people mingling, getting on with their work and life. I bet the only reason no one has stopped me yet, is the fact that since Cerberus stole the plans for our armor; I look just like another guard. The funny thing is, this place seems really familiar while also being totally strange.

Long corridors open up on all sides as I end up in a crossroad, having no idea where to go. Tapping my arm to open my Omni-Tool, I'm greeted with the sound of me tapping p-steel. I look closer to where the Omni-tool should be, and realize that it isn't there. _What the…_

I am sure I emptied the locker, I know I did… so where the hell is my tool?

"I swear to… something… where the hell am I?" I mutter, looking as scientists and guards walk around, some running and others just taking their time, chatting with each other as they ignore me.

"Hey you!" Someone shouts. He sounds pissed as hell, so I'm not exactly envying whomever he's mad at.

"I said: Hey you!" Hmm, still shouting. Poor bugger must be deaf to overhear that. Shrugging, I start turning down the corridor to my left, only to suddenly have a hand shove me in the chest, sending me against a wall and causing my skin to start burning. _Fuck, not now, not now! I can't be found now!_ I am not looking forward to having to kill my way out of here. Thanking the divines that my visor is tinted, I look at the man the hand belongs to, seeing another person in the phase-II armor. He has a lot of scratches on his armor as well, which is good.

It means I don't stand out that much. Taking his wrist in my hand, I slowly but firmly remove it from my chest, standing straight in front of the man. He's a lot bigger than me, and looks like he has the authority around here.

"What the hell did I just say? When I call for a guard, I fucking expect you to stand at attention." He sneers, making the feeling of fire even more intense. _Calm down, calm down…_

"Sorry sir, I have some issues after my helmet got banged into a wall by-"

"I do not give a shit!" He says, jabbing a gauntlet at my chest, causing me to take a step backwards into the wall. Thank Mara really, I had no idea how to finish my sentence; "The eggheads want zero to the rooms now. Go get the subject and report to the wet-labs. And _don't_ take long." Jesus Christ an ass… and what the hell is a 'zero'?

"Sir… where is this zero?" I ask, pleading he's not going to tear off my helmet to punch me. Not that he could actually hurt me, but then I would have to kill him… actually, _go ahead, tear off my helmet you prick…_

"What are you, an idiot? I know your ears don't work, I didn't realize your brain didn't either. Take this corridor till you reach the second door, then head through that and keep going till you reach the end of the hallway." He says, then shoving me again before moving off, leaving me wanting to plant a bullet in the back of his head.

My fingers hover briefly over the handle to my new Carnifex, but I let them drop. If I have to kill someone, it isn't going to be in a noisy way. Still, I wonder just what this 'zero' subject is. The only thing I can think of in that sense would be Jack, but in 2183, she would have escaped long ago and trashed the facility on Pragia as well. So if this isn't Jack, what or who is it?

Deciding that I might as well check it out, and exploit the chance to potentially ruin a Cerberus project, I follow the guy's directions, heading through the second door on my right. Entering it, I'm faced with a long corridor, flanked by doors on both sides as well as a few guards standing around, looking bored out of their skulls but still aware and alert. _And probably really trigger-happy too…_ I grumble, giving a few of them brief glances as I head to the door at the end. Oddly enough, no guards are anywhere near this door, and for some reason, it looks a lot heavier than the rest.

Standing just outside the door, I look around, studying the thick metals and alloys used in the door. That's when I hear it.

I hear crying.

Crying from a child.

Feeling my guts being slammed into my throat, I look around again, checking if someone else has heard it. It's only one person, and it's faint… but it's still clear through the door. _What the hell? _

Are they actually keeping children here? And… the similarities are too great. A child crying, the name 'zero'… Oh Gods… I didn't screw up the universe _that_ much, did I?

No… no there's no way it can be her. Jack escaped and trashed Teltin years ago, she's not some little girl now. There's no way it can be her. Maybe they restarted their sick camps and did the same to someone else?

Yes, yes that has to be it. I haven't reduced Jack to a child again. Not even I am capable of making the universe take a shit like that. Still… I _have_ to check. If nothing else, I need to find out why a child is in a Cerberus facility.

Breathing in, I palm the door, causing it to open and reveal a room. _Holy Divines!_

"Oh… my… Gods…" I mutter, seeing the lights flicker on inside the room. This… this has to be a joke. There's no way this can still be… but even the large windows in the side of the room are there, showing a fully functioning hall with… _loads of children…_

This… this is…

"Where the fuck did they take me?" I ask myself, not being able to remain silent as the entire thing comes screaming into my face. I'm not on some space station; I'm not even on some unknown planet…

Pragia

As the world slowly returns in full force, I'm sent stumbling against the wall as realization fully hits me. I really did fuck up the universe by coming here. I didn't just prevent the death of several people, I fucked up time as well. At least, I think that's how one describes a supposed ruined facility to be fully operational and suspecting that the child crying somewhere in this room is… no, if I voice that thought shit is going to hit me in the face. It happens every time I try to change stuff. I end up blown to shit or being subjected to hallucinations and suicide-attempts.

The sound of crying being muffled by something soft, maybe a pillow, causes me to snap back to the real world, slowly getting up from the floor. Looking around, I recognize the familiar writing desk in the left side of the room, part of a person visible under it. _Holy… Roku, I really need you right now!_

Pressing the controls for the door, I lock it. I then turn back to face the desk, the crying not having stopped, only decreased slightly in volume as the pillow is pressed harder towards the child's mouth. _Oh Mara, let me not find her, please don't let me find a bald, branded girl behind that desk._ I pray, reaching the point where I can see a pair of small hands hold a pillow against a small body.

Feeling my heart race faster than what can possibly be counted as healthy, I take off one of my gauntlets, kneeling down and reaching towards one of the hands. The child is white, almost as if someone bled her before putting her in here.

The moment my fingers touches hers, she recoils, pressing herself further inside the space underneath the desk. Looking once again make sure the door is locked, displaying the red signal, I return to the girl, reaching out to her again.

She recoils, struggling to get away from me while squirming and wincing, causing my heart to drop. _She's downright terrified!_

"Hey, hey it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." I say, making my voice as soft as I can. The problem is that it comes out synthesized due to the helmet's comms, and my skin is still on fire from the asshole from earlier. In other words it's bad voice or bad look.

The girl, whom I still don't want to identify as the Subject Zero I know, scrounges even more inwards, sending one of her feet outwards in a flash, catching me in the lower part of the helmet and causing my head to jerk upwards. _Damn she packs a punch!_

"Get away from me!" She cries, not moving the pillow from her face at all. Rubbing my chin through the helmet, I will myself to calm down, seeing as being angry won't solve anything with a scared girl.

"Hey, I'm not one of the bad men, alright? I'm not here to hurt you or take you to whatever they do in the wet-labs…" I say, then suddenly noticing something on her hands.

Just below her wrists, deep red marks line her arms, showing signs of either restraining or injection with weird tools. They don't exactly give off the appearance of having been treated. _Sweet mother…_

As I touch one of the marks, another foot flies out, hitting me in the middle of the helmet and actually causing the visor to crack a little. Either the glass in this thing is crap, of this girl is a powerhouse.

"Can you please stop hurting me? I just want to help you… how old are you?" I ask, sitting down across from her. She still hasn't removed the pillow, probably being the one soft thing she has to confine in.

"Six… aren't you one of the bad men?" She asks, her voice trembling as she briefly stops crying.

"Jesus Chri- six?... I… no, I'm not one of the bad men." I manage to say, shocked as hell. _Six years old? Mother of… six years?_ She's only… she's only six years old? _Fucking hell, I knew Cerberus were extreme, but… to see it like this…_

"You talk like them." She says, probably taking my synthesized voice for theirs. Fair point, it's the same armor.

"I know, but that's the helmet doing that to my voice. Do you want me to take it off?" I ask, trying to gain a peek over or around the pillow without moving or touching her. I can see the contours of a head nodding through the pillow.

"If I show you my face, will you show me yours?" I ask, undoing the seals on my helmet and allowing the air to flow in directly instead of being filtered. Almost instantly, I smell the air is heavy with iron, almost as if it was blood.

"No" She says, her voice for once adamant instead of breaking up.

"Why not?" I ask, halting in the process of removing the helmet.

"Then they will come and take me. They always do when they find me." She says, her voice making me cringe. Who the hell could put a six-year old girl through this amount of pain?

_Right… _

_Cerberus…_

I hesitate to plant a hand on her arm, instead just pulling myself together to speak to her again. I've never been very good with small children. I guess it stems from the car accident, being nervous around fragile people. People who could get snapped in half at a moment's notice.

"Not when I'm here. I'll make sure they don't get anywhere near you, okay?" I say, making my voice as firm as I can, allthewhile I almost feel as if speaking harshly could snap her in two.

"Promise?" She says, making a small smile appear on my lips. It sounds more hopeful than frightened.

"I promise. If anyone tries to snatch you, I'll beat them to a pulp." I say, feeling the anger well up inside me at the thought of some sadistic egghead trying to take her. I finally place my hand on her arm. Despite recoiling slightly, she doesn't try to escape again, nor does she send a foot at my face.

"…okay." She mutters, slowly removing the pillow from her face. Meanwhile, I remove the helmet, taking it under my arms._ I just hope she won't start screaming if my eyes are still glowing…_

Looking back at the girl, I'm almost forced to back away. What should have been a beautiful, fragile girl's face and appearance sports multiple scars, some of them even bigger than mine. Around her neck a long series of red marks are evidence of Divines know what, and all hair on her head is removed, shaven off to reveal a bald head with brown stubs. Her eyes tell of horrors inflicted on her, horrors no one should go through. Her lips are broken and show signs of having been on the receiving end of more than one punch, and I can just spot a series of bar code lining the back of her neck.

She looks at me in wonder, not in horror. As if seeing a new exciting animal at the zoo or outside one's bedside window. Focusing on where she's looking, I realize that my skin is still glowing with lines and symbols. Holding up a hand close to my eyes, I notice a faint green glow shining on it. _So my eyes are still glowing… crap…_

"You look strange… not like the bad men. You shine, are you an angel?" Her comment catches me completely off guard, not having expected her to react by comparing me to an angel of all things. A monster or a ghost maybe, but… an angel?

"I… what… makes you say that?" I ask, suddenly finding my voice to be hoarse, not being able to speak in normal tunes. She just looks at me, large curious eyes focused on the lines and glow of my skin… of me. I still remember how Liara reacted when she saw me like this, acting like I had turned into something horrifying… and the guards a few hours ago, how they had called me a freak…

"You're a good man. And you shine. Angels are good, and they shine… can you fly? I remember mum used to say angels lived in the heavens and they would look after me… and you said you'd look after me." Her way of speaking… she may actually physically be Subject Zero or Jack, but her spirit is nowhere near as hostile or mistrusting as the adult version. I can't help a smile to spread across my face as I shake my head, noting a small look of disappointment in her eyes;

"Sorry, no angel here. I'll keep you safe, yes… but even I need my own angel from time to time." I say, slowly getting up, noticing that she crawls from her hidey-hole and follows me out into the room. 'Jack' is wearing a single white hospital-gown, like the ones you wear between surgeries.

"What's your name?" She asks, causing me to frown for a moment before smiling, realizing that I haven't even told her thát yet. I think something critical to gain children's trust is getting on a name-base with them.

"I'm Thomas. Thomas Fisher. What's yours?"

"Fisher… like with those people who catch fish?" Her question causes me to laugh a bit, realizing that there might just still be some hope for this girl, to avoid her becoming Jack… and prevent her from doing all those bad things.

"Just like them. But you didn't answer my question, who are you?" I ask, still with the soft voice. It's luckily easy to maintain with her, seeing how she's still an innocent little girl, not the psychotic bitch she turned out as in the original story. _Fuck the story! I think we're way beyond saving that thing anyway…_

"I'm Jennifer, although they all just called me Jack… it's shorter they say." Jennifer? So… I suppose it's logical actually. Her name would have to be something with a 'J' as the first letter. Jennifer is obviously the right name for her.

"Alright Jennifer, I'm going to get you out of here and home to your parents." I say, feeling the energy rush through my veins as I open the door a little, holding it so that I can peep out without the guards looking in. There are ten guards out there, all armed with automatic assault rifles. Should be easy to take on. _Wait you fucking idiot, they'll hit her the second she steps out the door. Going that way won't do shit but get her killed._

"I don't have a home." She says, causing me to cringe and look back at her. She looks like… oh gods, are her parents dead? I wouldn't put it past some of the people in Cerberus to kill her parents to get a biotic girl.

"What do you mean?" I ask, closing the door again before taking off my helmet. I don't really like my synthesized voice either.

"The man who brought me here told me they didn't want me. They sold me when I was ill so that they could afford a new baby, one who wasn't a biotic." Jesus on a horse, what the hell is wrong with these people?

"Ja- Jennifer… I don't know how having kids is, I'm not that old yet… but trust me when I say that no one would sell their child, not for all the money in the galaxy." I say, holding her shoulders gently as I look into her eyes. Something inside her seems to slide into place, causing a look of distraught to appear on her face.

"Then… why haven't they brought me home yet? Why aren't they looking for me?" Oh gods… _Mara help me…_

"I… think these people told your parents that you died when you were ill... was it because of your biotics that you were sick?" I say, trying not to wince at the look of complete confusion and unhappiness in her eyes.

"I… I think so. It hurt really bad and I threw things around without wanting to. I almost destroyed our house…"

"Fuckers… I mean… never mind, what I mean is, that they took you from your parents and told them you were dead. Like why not to talk to strangers." I say, trying to inspire a little bit of hope in her. If I can make her believe in her parents thinking she's dead, I can make rescuing her that much easier.

"So my mum and dad did love me? They didn't sell me to the man?"

"Jennifer, I swear that guy told your parents you were dead. That's how he kidnapped you and brought you here. " I say. And it's true. I remember hearing about a file in the Shadow Broker DLC mentioning how Cerberus had tricked her parents into thinking she was dead. _I just wish my programs hadn't crashed so I couldn't get more DLC. My pc is one thing I won't miss…_

"And you'll take me back to them?" She says, a smile now forming on her face. I nod, giving her a smile.

"I will. You'll see your parents again, I-" I'm cut off as Jennifer tackles me, hugging me so fiercely I can feel it through the armor. A warm feeling is welling up inside me, causing the green lines on my skin to disappear as quickly as they emerged, leaving me with my normal look, and a climbing migraine.

"Thank you." She says, and I can feel my chest tightening into a knot as my throat starts to burn and force a lump up. Without knowing what to say, I just hesitantly place my arms around her back, hugging her small form in return.

"Alright, let's get out of here. Listen, I want you to stay close to me all the time okay? The guards may try to stop us, and I don't want them getting to you." I say, getting up from the embrace. Thinking about it, meeting Jennifer is a little like when I met Ash. It was _before _their lives went to shit.

"Okay."

"Alright, you see this window? I'm going to burn through it, and then we head across the catwalk and through that door on the other end. I think I remember where there is a landing pad for shuttles. So you stand back now, this might make some noise." I say, waiting till she's a few meters away before starting to focus on one of my fingers, trying to force the energy to emerge as green fire.

Nothing happens.

Okay, I have to be stressed to make this work… be stressed, how the hell do I stress myself? Think goddammit, think. I can jump on the spot… no, that won't make me stressed… okay, think angry thoughts… angry thoughts_…What are you, an idiot? I know your ears don't work, I didn't realize your brain didn't either! _Alright, that definitely pissed me off to no end. I can already feel the anger swell inside me as the memory of the asshole verbally assaulting me emerges, appearing almost as lifelike as if I am standing in front of him again.

Looking at my fingers, I notice how the green flames have burned through the tip of the armored gauntlet's fingers, merging to a bright green flame.

"Wow… I can't do that…" Jennifer says in the background, causing me to chuckle a bit.

"No, but I'm not exactly normal either. Just be ready to follow me." I say, bringing the tip of the flames to the glass. The smell of molten plastic immediately fills the room as I burn through the fiberglass. The hall down below is empty now, making it the perfect time to get her out of here.

The second I've burned a tall shape from the wall and windows, I eek my fingers around the edges, grabbing a hold of the wall before it falls outwards, slowly pulling it inwards. The last thing I need is for the sound of the cutout to alarm the guards. Tried that one on Noveria, thank you Tequila...

Now though, all I need is an Omni-tool… and of course I had to leave without checking if I even had one. _Okay… let's see… where can I find… maybe the guards?_ Perhaps I could get one of them to get in here, then knock him off his ass and take his tool. _That might just work…_

Looking down at Jennifer, I mentally growl, hating myself for having to do something that might put a child in danger. Kneeling in front of her, I place a hand gently on her shoulder;

"Jennifer, I'm going to do something that might be dangerous. Can you hide under your desk until I tell you otherwise?" I can't help but feel that she both understands and doesn't understand me, what I'm going to do. Still, she just nods and heads back to her desk.

Sighing, I breathe in and out before opening the door towards the hallway;

"Oi, can one of you guys get in here for a sec? I need some help with the subject." I call, causing their heads to snap towards me. One of the guards, probably the highest ranking among them, looks at his men;

"Jefferson, Vanducken, go help the guy out." For… damn, now I have two guys instead of one. Not really what I was hoping for. Still, I should be able to pull it off. The two guards nod to their leader before heading my direction, rifles at the ready.

"Alright, what is it?" One of them asks, sounding a bit annoyed that I can't handle a little girl. I point at the desk where she's hiding, locking the door the second both of them are looking her direction;

"I can't get her out from there without hurting… damaging her too much and she kicks." I mutter, sounding like an embarrassed guard not being able to do his job.

The guards just look at me, then each other before grumbling about 'incompetent greenhorns'… Whatever a greenhorn actually is.

"Alright Peter, get her out of there." The guy closest to me says, and I think the 'Peter' guy is the one named Vanducken. Sounds Dutch to me, but then again, it could be German or Belgian for all I know.

"Alright you little brat. Come out and play." The Dutch says, getting down on all four before he starts climbing in after Jennifer. The other guy, the one named Jefferson, just observes the scene with his back to me. _Big mistake douchebag… _

"So, I don't think I've seen you here befo-" He starts, but I interrupt him by smashing him in the side of his helmet, hitting him hard enough to make him fall to the floor: out cold. Luckily, the other guy seems to be so obsessed with getting Jennifer out from under the desk that he didn't hear a thing.

I quickly walk over to where he's kneeling, briefly looking at Jennifer's scared eyes as she looks from the man to me. Giving her a nod, I grab the man by the shoulders, tearing off his helmet before I slam him headfirst into the wall, creating a large shallow dent in the metal. He then slumps to the ground, bleeding from multiple injuries in his face, a broken nose being among them.

"Alright, you can come out now." I say, grabbing the guard's wrist and prying off his Omni-tool before inserting it in the small compartment in my own wrist, meant to hold an Omni-tool.

"Are they… dead?" She asks, her voice being disturbingly neutral as she looks between me and the two guards. I shake my head;

"Just out cold. You okay?" I ask, receiving a nod; "Alright, let's get out of here." I say, extending a hand towards her. I guess she still feels a bit hesitant about trusting me, especially after seeing me beat up two guards. Not taking my hand, she climbs out from the desk, looking around the room.

Sighing, I walk over to the wall, gently pulling the carving from the rest of it to allow us passage through. Looking back, I note that the door is still locked, but it won't be long before they start wondering what happened to the two guards. In other words it's time to get out of here.

"Ladies first." I say, gesturing for Jennifer to go through first, letting me close the hole after us. The cutting is thin enough that you have to be relatively close to spot it, so it might give us a few minutes extra time when they discover her cell to be empty.

Closing the hole after us, I look at the ceiling, noticing how bright the sun's beams are pouring through the windows, lighting the whole room without the need for the light to be turned on. It's actually quite peaceful. Standing still for too long, I'm snapped from my trance as Jennifer tugs my hand.

"Come on." Her voice is pleading, and I can understand why. If what I remember from the events taking place here in the game is still true, she's been through hell during her time here. And the marks on her wrists and neck tell of injuries being inflicted on her.

"Right… okay, I know you are scared, but just keep close and I'll keep you safe." I say, trying to shove out the anxiousness in my voice. I'm not thát concerned with my own safety as I am with hers. Being brought back from death more than once tends to have that effect.

Without another word, we head across the catwalks and through the door, coming upon a long corridor filled with doors on each side. This seems far too familiar for comfort.

"Jennifer… what's behind those doors?" I ask, giving her a hesitant look. Looking first at the doors, then at me, she just shakes her head;

"I don't know… I've only been out of the room when they took me to the table… and then I don't remember more. Just the pain and that I'm scared." Jesus, they really have been going all out on her. I briefly consider trying to burn the doors open, but it would take too much time, and it would be easy to spot when going past.

"Odd that no one else is-" I start, then being rewarded in the most iconic way: A squad of armed guards approach from a set of stairs at the other side of the long hallway, all stopping abruptly as they spot us. _Aw fuck…_

Without time to consider my options, I burn through the lock on the closest door, shoving Jennifer inside the room. As soon as I know she's out of the line of fire, I turn my attention back to the guards, all of them now pointing rifles at me.

"We got reports that zero had escaped… never thought a guard would double-cross us… but you're not really a guard, are you?" The leader, a woman by the sound of it, says. Unlike the guards near Jennifer's cell, these are armored up in the original hardsuits from before the phase-II armor was introduced. The tone in her voice doesn't exactly describe a person of compassion and trust, but rather somewhat pissed and willing to kill… and probably with a loose trigger finger as well.

"What, you expect me to deliver a child back to be tortured by you fucking psychopaths?" I sneer, drawing the Carnifex from my belt, feeling my skin catch on fire and a headache starting to drum on my temples. It gets worse each time I use Roku's energy, but I _can't_ worry about that now.

"That, or we shoot you dead. You're already in for an interrogation, so shooting you might be the most gentle thing we can do."

"You'll be dead before your guns even come close to overloading." I retort, flipping the safety off on the gun. This is where I really wish I was a better shot.

"You hear that boys? He just threatened us. Which means we're authorized to use lethal force." As she speaks, the woman and her men all point their guns a little harder at me, but not shooting yet.

"Step aside, and you won't be killed in very entertaining ways." I growl, having to struggle to avoid insulting or cursing them. At least out loud.

"Kill him." She says, and they all pull the trigger on their guns, sending bullets crashing into me. As long as the armor holds, I should be able to get close enough to kill them. I'm not sure if the suit can handle being lit on fire by the green barrier I used earlier.

As soon as the slugs hit me, I run forward, dodging to the best of my ability as they keep up the fire, draining my shields before I make it ten meters and starting to chip away at my armor as I close in on them, gun in hand. _Are they laughing?_

I soon begin to feel slugs punching through the armor, impacting on my body as they hit the green barrier underneath. I just hope I don't suddenly find myself with mortal wounds.

As I come closer and closer to the guards, I notice a few of them starting to stare at me; like they are surprised I haven't gone down yet. In all logic I certainly should, having had a few slugs punch through my armor already, and more following suit. _Fuck, fuck, fuck! Just a little closer!_

Finally, I reach the guards, having been riddled with enough bullets to look like I found the armor in a dumpster. Curling up my fist, I send the closest guard screaming through the air with a swipe from my artificial hand.

Without hesitating, I swing the gun around and pull the trigger, shattering the shields and kneecaps on the closest hostile, sending the woman crashing towards the floor as I grab a hold of her, slamming her body into another guard. _For the love of God my head hurts!_

Biting down on my lip, forcing the pain back in my head, I take the overloaded gun in my left hand, allowing the fingers on my right to light up in green fire. Before the leader of the team can even pull the trigger again, I smash my palm over her face, pressing inwards as I feel the hand starting to burn away the flesh on her face. She instantly starts screaming and clawing at my hand, only succeeding in burning her fingers and scraping against my gauntlet, allthewhile the last guard is backing away, gun still leveled at me but not shooting.

When her screaming finally stops, I remove my hand, keeping the woman between me and the last guard. On her face, a large burn shaped like a hand covers the majority of what you can see, giving off the grim impression of her having been on the receiving end of an unnaturally powerful slap or punch to the face. Grabbing her neck, I can briefly feel a pulse still going through before I hurl her against the final guard, causing both to smash against the stairs with snapping sounds, indicating that more than one bone was broken. None of them are moving, and the stench of boiled flesh and fat lingers in the corridor, causing me to reel slightly.

Looking down on my hand, I notice how the fire seems to have eaten away at the outer layer of padding, leaving only a few scraps of the black leathery material used for increased friction unscorched. Looking around the corridor, I slowly start moving back to Jennifer, wincing as my boots walk in the puddles of blood left when I almost blew the legs of one of the guards. _When does it stop? I just maimed five people, possibly even crippling them for life… why don't I feel sick? Why are the headache and the adrenaline the only things I feel?_

"Thomas?" A small voice call from the other side of the door. Opening it, I spot Jennifer standing near a bunk bed, only difference from those on the Normandy being the size of it.

"The coast is clear… just… don't stop at the bodies." I mutter, beckoning for her to follow. Turning to walk, I'm stopped when she grips my hand outside the door. Looking back at her, I notice her staring at the floor in front of us, looking at the large puddles of blood covering a good portion of it.

"Jennifer?" I ask, worrying if the display is too much for her to handle.

"I can't walk on the… the floor over there." She says, weakly pointing at the blood. Looking back at her, I slowly nod, getting down on a knee.

"Want me to carry you?" I ask, trying to sound calm despite the adrenaline still pumping in my veins and the headache starting to make me lose focus.

"Mmm…" She mutters, nodding slowly. With a light sigh, I pick her up in a bridal carry, walking across the blood-soiled floor with more difficult steps. Reaching the end of the corridor, I gently put her down, allowing her to find her footing before letting go. A few groans from the half-dead guards causes Jennifer to wince, but she quickly follows me up through the stairs, leading us into a new room. As I press the door, I'm racking my brain to remember just what was on the other side of this door, but the headache makes it almost impossible to think clearly.

As the door slides open, I start walking but am stopped dead in my tracks by the sight greeting me.

In front of me, a room opens up, covering two floors separated by a set of catwalks. On the floor all over the room, masses of tables with cloth-covered forms are lined up in rows, easily numbering in the dozens, maybe even fifty or more.

A man in dark clothes mulls around between the tables, whistling as if he hasn't even noticed the more than forty bodies around him. From what I can see, all he cares about is keeping the floor clean of blood, mopping it up in a bucket on wheels. Other than the noise he suddenly stops making, the only sounds in here are the sounds of fluid dripping and hitting the ground.

The man looks at us with an annoyed gaze, probably taking me for a guard having messed up or gotten lost, intruding into his private space. I start walking up to him with brisk steps, Jennifer right behind me.

"Hey, this isn't the lab-wing. What are you doing he-" Before he can even finish his sentence, I punch him in the face, sending him sailing through the air with my bionic hand curled up in a fist. Bastard didn't even seem bothered by being surrounded by what I can only guess is a mass of dead children. _The second we're out of here, I'm telling the Alliance about this place. Never figured I would be the one to send Teltin to the grave, although I don't exactly regret it…_

"Come on, I think we're nearing the exit." I say as we walk through the room, me trying to avoid looking at the little hands sticking out from under the covers. I can feel an unearthly shiver running down my spine, as well as the urge to kill someone, anyone responsible for this… this mass-slaughter.

As we leave the room, we enter a new one, this one packed heavy with people, both guards and people in white lab coats. I quickly close the door, leaning against the wall as Jennifer looks at me, concern in her eyes.

"Jesus Christ that's a lot of them…" I mutter, massaging my temples through the helmet.

"What do we do?" Her voice is scared, yet still with confidence in it. It sounds as if she actually believes in me.

"Let me think for a moment…" I say, willing her to be quiet, a difficult thing with most six-year olds. However, Jennifer just stays silent, watching me as she leans against a beam supporting the second floor. _The second floor… I wonder…_

"Jen, can you get up on that catwalk if I give you a boost?" I ask, catching her seemingly off guard. She looks up the beam, eyes resting on the edge of the catwalk where it merges with a pad extending from a door.

"I think so. What about you?" She asks as I move to help her up.

"I'll figure something out." I mutter with a smile as I cup my hands, allowing for her bare feet to tread on them and lift her upwards.

"Got it?"

"Yeah… what now?" She asks as her feet disappear over the edge, only for her head to appear over the edge.

"Step back a bit, I'm coming up." I say, jumping as hard as I can.

Nothing happens though; I'm not being propelled upwards. Trying again, I grit my teeth, focusing on the muscles in my thighs, trying to force them into flowing with energy.

"Dammit… give me a second…" I say, receiving a small nod as she steps back from the edge._ Come on… come on!_

Trying again, I take a running start, jumping as I reach the beam. Throwing my arms downwards, I finally manage to get up, albeit nowhere near as easy as I had hoped for. Instead of the calm biotic floating I've seen others do in the game, I have to use my right hand to propel myself through the air, causing me to feel like a retarded version of flying in a dream.

In the end though, I get to the second story, resting my hands on my knees as I catch a breather, panting heavily to regain some of my energy. Doesn't help that my head feels like it's splitting open from the inside.

"Wow… that was a little harder than I thought it would be…" I mutter, standing straight again. Looking around to ensure no one followed us, I nearly scream when I notice a stairwell going from the ground to this level, only twenty meters away. Biting my tongue, I palm the controls on the door, causing it to open up and reveal a railed catwalk making up the second floor in the large room, appearing to be the cantina of the facility.

So far no one has noticed us. Gesturing for Jennifer to follow, I slowly walk out the room, her close in thong. Apart from the two of us, the catwalk is empty, allowing us to walk across it at a brisk pace.

About halfway across, I look down at the mass of guards and scientists, noticing how more than one is looking at us. A few are starting to get up or pointing at us. _Ohhhh poop… _I reach behind me and pull Jennifer in front of me, gently pressing at her back to make her walk faster. That's when the alarm sounds. _Of course it had to sound now! They would have discovered the bodies I left behind by now… I should have hidden them, but noooo… I was too busy…_

"Attention, attention! Subject Zero has escaped the confines of her cell, likely accompanied by a man in a guards uniform. Identity is unknown, but lethal force is authorized to bring him down. Don't kill Jack, I repeat: Don't kill Jack!" Oh shit. Now all the people down in the hall are getting to their feet, multiple of them drawing weapons and leveling them at me, shouting in incoherent words.

We run.

Realizing that Jennifer can't run nearly as fast as me, I scoop her up in the process, pressing her against my chest as I sprint the final distance between us and the door, feeling bullets impact on my shields, whittling it down uncomfortably fast as dozens of firearms unleash bullets at me.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck it all, fuck!" I curse, feeling as the bullets are starting to nip into my under-armor. If I try to bring the barrier on, I am going to burn her, so I'm reduced to pray that my armor can take the punishment. Jennifer just burrows into my torso, face hidden. _No way they're getting her, no fucking way!_

As I reach the door, it opens, revealing a pair of guards in the process of drawing their pistols. Not wanting to risk Jennifer's safety, I run towards the guards as I halfway spin around, kicking one of them in the chest with my good leg, the one a bullet didn't just lodge itself in. I only absentminded notice how my foot glows green as it hits the man, sending him into the wall as his friend opens fire on me, a few shots hitting my backside as I run past him, headed for the landing pads.

_Mara, please let there be a shuttle, please let there be a shuttle, please let there be a shuttle!_ I pray as I storm through the corridors, tackling a lone guard in the process of bringing his gun to bear at me. _Oh Gods my head hurts!_ I can feel the strength slowly leave my left leg as my shin starts hurting like hell. I mentally curse the demon who decided to let the bullet hit my wound from Eden Prime, causing the damaged tissue to reopen.

"We're almost there" I mutter as we enter a room I recognize as being where 'Jack' said they would bring in the new kids. A few empty containers line the wall, the insides being too dark for me to make out any details as I run past them, palming the door as I reach it, making Jennifer sit on my bionic arm.

As the door opens, rays of sunlight pour through the opening, revealing the outside world for the first time in days. The area around the complex is nothing but jungle, echoing with exotic sounds and animal cries. Taking my gun in the now free hand, I close the door behind me, shooting the circuitry to pieces.

Instead of locking down, the door opens up, revealing guards storming towards the door. I level my gun on them as they dive for cover, killing at least one of them as I overheat the pistol into the chest of the man closest to the door.

As soon as he drops, I turn and run, heading up the ramp leading to the landing pad on the roof. My heart skips a beat when I see a white shuttle parked at the center of it, thrusters in the process of shutting down.

Nearing the vessel, I see two people stepping out. One of them is a man in a white coat, probably a scientists, while the other looks like another soldier. Both of them stop dead in their tracks as I bulrush them, shoving them out of the way as I enter the shuttle, placing Jennifer in a seat before I speed to the cockpit, hauling a bald pilot from his seat and throwing him out the door.

I palm the locks on the doors before he's hit the ground, giving Jennifer a brief look as I run back to the cockpit, jumping into the seat as I hear rounds start pinging off of the hull. _How the hell do I fly this thing? Where the fuck is Roku when I need him?! _I actually halfway expect an answer to my question, but none comes, leaving me to struggle with the controls as more and more rounds hit the hull, causing an overpowering noise to fill the inside.

Come on, come on… this has to be similar to the controls in an old helicopter, it just has to. I spot a small handle in the board above the controls, spelling 'ignition'. Without a second's hesitation, I press the handle downwards, causing the shuttle to shudder as it lifts off, leaving me with the controls to get us out of here. I gun the small pedal, gripping the handles tight and pulling back as I watch the horizon disappear beneath the end of the cockpit's window.

Fewer and fewer shots hit the vessel as I send us roaring out into the atmosphere.

* * *

**And thus we embark on a new mission. Ashley is experiencing emotional trauma, Nikolai is fuming, Zaeed get's blown to hell and we meet a certain psycotic biotic before she get's twisted in the head... another day in Paradise...**

**Alright, Thomas is starting to experience the drawbacks of Roku's insane powers, namely the crippling migraines and the loss of focus. He also has no idea how to fly by himself yet.**

**Well guys, do me a favor and review the shit out of this one. I'm going to Spain this Thursday and won't be back until eight days after. In other words there'll be a major break in chapters being published.**


	39. Spectral Reunions

**Damn guys... the reviews I've been getting lately really are a testimony to just how awesome a fanbase you guys are. Not only do I get love in each review, you actually give me awesome ideas for new concepts and names. I know we've already been over the names-thing once, but I got a really good one from one of you. I'm not telling the name of the guy who gave me the name, but... yeah, you'll definetely see some of the new Dreadnoughts named 'Hammer of Vengence' and 'Mindoir's Wrath'.**

**I'm honestly surprised I managed to get this one out before I go to Spain, but the reviews you have been leaving makes it all worth it.**

**Now, enjoy. **

* * *

Spectral Reunions

November 1th

Shuttle A2-O1, Dakka system

04:03 (Estimated time)

Leaning back in the seat, I finally allow myself to relax, seeing as no ships or aircrafts have pursued us since Pragia. The window is black, with no lights except for the sharp rays originating from the sun on our left, looking almost tiny in the distance of millions of miles. Safe from the sun's lights, the only lights in the cockpit originates from the holographic screens covering the front of my vision. I've found a pair of weird gloves under the seat, looking like they are highly electronic and sensitive. The biggest surprise came when I tried one on and discovered it to interact with the screens. _But for the love of God my head is on fire!_

Looking around the cockpit, I notice one of the screens depicting an open extranet site. It looks like the modern version of Google, but it looks different enough that I really can't be sure. With a glance at Jennifer's sleeping form in the main compartment, I put on both gloves and give the screens a try. _This can't be that much different than a touchscreen…_ the second I move my hand against the screen, I feel a slight pressing feeling in my fingers, as if the screen is really there.

"This is… different…" I mutter as I finally succeed in finding the keyboard for the search machine. I need some music, if all is to be perfect… wonder if I even know any good music that's calm at the same time… Shrugging, I press in a set of letters, bringing up what I can only guess is this time's version of YouTube. _I really should have had someone put me through working with holograms before I got snapped…_

With the final few presses on the holographic interface, I bring up the option of playing the selected music, albeit at a low volume. _Lux Aeterna should be calm enough that it won't wake her up…_ I mull, pressing the play option.

The familiar tunes and choir-like voices bring back the memories of the last time I listened to this piece. I always have found it to be one of the calmer pieces of Two Steps from Hell. Always used it when I needed to calm down, while pieces such as 'To Glory' or 'United we stand, Divided we fall' were more for epic battles or while I was playing Skyrim.

Relaxing as I put the music in loop, letting it replay once it has finished, I fumble around with the controls, trying to figure out where the chards for our location is. I don't know how much fuel this thing has, but I have yet to hear or see alarms telling me that fuel is low. In other words, I think we're fine.

Managing to bring up what I assume is a GPS of sorts, I discover us to be halfway through the Dakka system, having already traversed more than two million miles since we left Pragia. _Hmm, the guys back in 2011 should just know how I'm flying around in a space shuttle… and that being the least of it…_ With a small sigh I listen as the music loops, restarting. I play around with the different chards for a while before finally finding what I was looking for.

At the edge of the system, near the relay, a clear icon shows the location of a refueling station. Hopefully they have some sort of connection there that will let me message the Normandy.

And let Ash know I'm alive.

"Alright… where's the auto… something, for this thing?" I mutter as I open different controls and options through the screens.

"You are looking for the auto-pilot. Do you require help or guidance?" A synthetic voice suddenly says, causing me to jump in my seat, looking at the avatar of a VI. _Jesus Christ a jumbscare!_

"I… yes. Can you set course for the nearest refueling station in this system?" I manage to get out, pulling myself together from the shock. Ash would die laughing if she saw this. _I can take on any sort of enemies, but a VI can scare the shit out of me…_

"Setting course for Dakka Fuel station. Estimated time of arrival: six hours. Do you wish for an alarm to go off when this vessel reaches the station?" His monotone voice is really creepy. I guess that settles it: I'm never ever getting a VI without some human voice in it.

Silently laughing at myself, I look back into the main compartment, noticing how Jennifer is still sleeping. With a small yawn, I realize that I'm pretty tired as well. I have been at this for more hours than I care to count, and being dead doesn't count as rest. Especially because it involves going through that sort of hell.

"I can't believe… I really did it." I mutter with a small smile as I leave the cockpit, placing myself in one of the seats across from her. I lie down on the seats, thankful that they are designed without spaces or supports for arms. Almost like Cerberus meant for their people to be able to sleep in the shuttle. With a tired sigh I pry off the armor, leaving only the torso and the leg guards on as I place the gauntlets, boots and helmet on the floor. Looking around the room, my eyes fall on Jennifer as she seems to be sleeping with a smile on her face.

Somehow I doubt that has been an often occurring thing while Cerberus had her. She still wears nothing but the white, stained gown she did when I came across her, using it as both clothing and a blanket as she huddles up in it, dragging her knees inwards in her sleep. Looking at her like this, warm feelings start filling me, causing me to smile as I feel my eyelids close over my vision, darkness taking me.

The sharp buzzing of an alarm wakes me up, causing me to stir and grumble as my sleep was disrupted. Feeling something tug against me, I slowly open my eyes, realizing that I'm lying on the floor, my face against the ceiling as my eyes adjust to the darkness in the room. Or not darkness, but the shuttle has dimmed its lights severely since I went to sleep, giving the room a dark gloom.

Feeling the pressing again, I look at my right arm where the tugging is coming from, halfway expecting it to be because I'm lying on it. Instead, Jennifer is snuggled against me, using my right arm as a makeshift pillow. The feeling of warmth and protectiveness wells up in me, making me smile as she slowly starts moving as well, disturbed by the alarm. Her bald head is starting to show signs of growth, a few hairs being an inch longer than the rest, giving me a small hope that I'll get to see her with the hair a small girl should have, not bald like a man with a name that suits.

Carefully, I prompt myself up on my left hand, not wanting to disturb her too much. However I seem to have failed, as Jennifer suddenly looks at me, eyes wide open and showing signs of having been awake for more than just these last few seconds.

"Morning… you okay?" I ask, not sure just how to interact with a child who slept up against me.

"Yes… I'm hungry." She says, causing me to smile. Leave it to a child to focus on the trivial stuff in the day, not even mentioning the insane escape we made from Teltin. Lifting her head from my arm, Jen looks around. I let a small sigh escape me as I sit up, stretching my arms into the air and feeling as the energy of sleep pours through me, making me open and close my mouth a few times.

"How did we end up like that?" I ask, giving her a raised brow. I'm guessing I fell to the ground due to some sort of turbulence… although, turbulence in space. Not sure there is such a thing.

"You woke me up when you fell from the chairs… I didn't like sleeping alone… I never liked it." She mutters, looking almost ashamed. _Gods, if only my children will be like her one day… if I live to get any that is…_

"Jen… you really are something else." I say with a smile, standing straight and rolling my shoulders, stretching my back. Her eyes widen, almost as in fear.

"What's wrong?" I ask, feeling worry fill my chest as I notice her look.

"They used to call me 'something else' too, whenever they took me to the tables… I don't want to be something else." I could have slapped myself here, though not sure why. Of course they called her such things, 'special', 'important', 'something else' or just generally what suited them and fit the prospect of a super-biotic. Kneeling down to her level, I place a hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes.

"Jennifer, what those men said doesn't mean the same thing as when those who care for you call you 'something else'. It means that you are a very special person to them, someone they want to protect and see happy. Like me." I say, not fully realizing what I said until a moment after.

"Like you? Like you how?" She asks, her voice filled with confusion and curiosity. No longer is it fear or fright, just the nature a little girl should act when not understanding something. I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment as I consider what to say, then looking back at her.

"I want to see you happy, you know? Make sure you get back to your parents." I say, my voice filled with emotion as I look at her, noticing how her eyes seem to light up at the promise.

"So if I'm something else, what are you?" Her question catches me a little off guard, causing me to scratch my chin, feeling the effects of not having shaved for days.

"To be honest, sometimes I don't know. I'd like to think I'm just a guy doing some good things, but some people think I'm a fre- a scary thing." I reply as I get up, gesturing for her to follow me into the cockpit.

Replacing the void and stars, the entrance-ports to the station spreads out in front of us, displaying neon-signs and letters in foreign languages. I guess there was a lot I couldn't see of the fuel depots in the game. This is more than just a depot; it's a small city, built on the trade and commerce taking place when the ships dock to refuel.

We stand there for a few moments, me taking in the sights and scenes playing out around the shuttle as we glide into a dock, guided by the VI. On a second thought, I really like VI's, seeing as I would have never been able to 'park' a shuttle like this, especially not line it up with dozens of others.

Next to me, Jennifer finally look at me again, seemingly having been in thought.

"Thomas… I think you are something else too." She says, causing my heart to take an extra beat. I've never been much around little children, but being around Jennifer for only a day has already showed me how big a mistake that has been. She really is a wonderful little thing. Kneeling down to her, I put a hand on her back, gently pulling her into an embrace. She doesn't resist, instead just wrapping her little arms around me.

"Gods, Jen… you are an amazing little girl, you know that?" I whisper, almost afraid to hold her too tight I case I break her. I still don't trust my new powers enough to do that to someone, and I won't even touch Ash if I'm still like this when I see her again. I won't risk hurting those I care for.

As the shuttle comes to a stop, I feel the slight shaking as it is locked by the magnetic clamps securing it. Giving Jen a smile, I stand up and walk to the door, her following me.

"Alright… first we-" I start, but aa new voice cuts me off;

"This is Dakka Depot security. Cerberus personnel in the unregistered shuttle are to come out with their hands raised and weapons dropped. Fail to comply and we will fire upon your shuttle!" The speaker causes me to flinch, Jennifer looking scared. _Why the… I thought those pricks refueled at this station, so why the hell are they aiming guns at us?_ I look at Jen, giving her shoulder a small squeeze.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this… I hope…" I finish, whispering the last words to myself as I palm the interface, causing the door to open with a hiss. Instantly, we're met with the red dots of lasers being pointed at us. We slowly step out, me at the front with Jen somewhat using me as cover.

"Don't shoot, we're not Cerberus!" I shout, causing a few of the lasers to fall from my chest to the floor. The guards here are about ten in numbers, all of them carrying individual armor without much uniform to speak of. The leader, a Turian, steps forward with an assault rifle at the ready. That's when Jen leans out from behind me. I am not sure what exactly the Turian thinks, but he puts the rifle down when I notice Jen leaning from my legs.

"Men, stand down… for now." He says, then looking at me; "If you're not Cerberus, why do you come flying in a shuttle with their markings on?" He says. I can't see his face, being covered by a blue helmet with a white line going from the tip of the fringe-parts to his visor. I then look at the rest of his armor, noticing the stark contrast between the blue and white colors forming the pattern of a rising sun on his chest. _Aw shit… are these Blue Suns?_

Still, I suppose it doesn't matter. They aren't shooting at us, and they are the station's security, so maybe they are some of the not so corrupt Suns that Zaeed trained. Looking behind the leader, I notice that most of the guards are Turian with a few humans in between;

"That's a long story… but can you please get some food for her? I don't know when the last time she ate was…" I ask. I am not hungry myself, but I can't let her go hungry, even if I have to mug someone to… _Wait, is this what I have become? I can't just mug people to get credits, that's despicable!_

The leader of the guards looks at Jen for a long time, then kneels down in front of her, looking between us;

"Little girl, do you know this man?" He asks, probably thinking I'm Cerberus personnel trying to lie my way free. I guess I can understand his way of thought. We arrived in a shuttle bearing Cerberus symbols, and I'm using the same armor that Cerberus does.

"Yes… stop pointing guns at him, please?" She says, sounding surprisingly mature in her choice of words. Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised, pain has a way of maturing people faster than normally.

"I guess I can accept that… okay, follow me to the station. We'll get something for her to eat… can you pay for it?" I groan at his question. Of course the Suns would have to be this way, charging for feeding a small child.

"No… I can't… please just give her something, I'll-" I start but he cuts me off my holding up a hand.

"I was joking, merely… I know what you think, we Suns are starting to pick up a bad rep due to some of our cells backstabbing their clients. I'm not like them, neither are my men. We'll scrounge something up, but then I expect a testimony on how and why you came here in a Cerberus shuttle." He says, and I feel the air leave my lunges in surprise, leaving me with a gaping mouth behind my helmet, thankful for the polarized glass. I turn to face Jen, looking a mix between scared and curious.

"So… we just follow those men?" She says.

"Yeah. I think we'll get you some food now." I reply, feeling her now smiling face fill me with warmth. _I think I really do like children… I just hope I can fulfill my promise to her, although I can't see what should be able to go wrong now…_

We follow the Turian, several of his men staying behind to secure the shuttle. I don't really regret losing that thing. The VI _was_ annoying as hell.

As we proceed through the maze of buildings and clubs, bars and food-places, I marvel at just how much this depot actually contains. Offices, tall buildings and cafes, gyms and malls… it's like a miniature city. I sometimes even forget to watch where I'm going as the neon lights draw my eyes.

Finally, after having walked for minutes, we end up in a building that serves as police station on this part of the depot, seeing as it spells 'D-Sec, 2' dep.' over the door. The inside is warm and bright, making it feel like a proper place of law-enforcement instead of a dark seedy place where you can't tell the criminal from the cop.

"Take a seat; I'll get someone to fetch a nutrient-tube. Sorry, but it's all we've got here. The Levo-officers all eat at home, so we're not exactly prepared to feed humans here... I'll also send for some more proper clothing for her." The Turian says, leaving the room for a moment while I motion for Jennifer to sit in a chair facing one of the tables. I make due with leaning against the wall, looking around and keeping my eyes on Jen. After a few moments, the Turian returns with a tube similar to those I've seen Tali and John eat from, this one just spelling 'Levo' on the outside. Handing the tube to Jennifer, the Turian then gestures for me to sit down at a table, himself taking a chair on the opposite side of it.

Taking off his helmet, the Turian reveals a brown-plated face with a few red markings adorning his mandibles. I follow his example by removing my own helmet, revealing my own scared face. Cocking a brow-plate in interest, the Turian looks at me for a moment. With none of us speaking, the only sound comes from Jennifer as she goes from sucking on the tube, to make sounds telling of the less than exciting taste, to sucking on it again.

"My name is Delaron, Blue Suns Legionnaire and Private Inspector Delaron Pintos to be precise." He says, extending his three talons towards me. I take them, albeit hesitantly, not being able to forget him being a Sun.

"Thomas, Corporal Thomas Fisher of the Alliance Navy." I reply, not understanding why his brows suddenly go up and his mandibles flare slowly to the sides.

"Corporal… Thomas… Fisher… I know I've heard that name before… You serve in the Alliance Navy you say?" He asks, causing me to furrow my brows a little, nodding;

"Yeah, that's what I said. I serve on the Normandy under-"

"I knew it. I knew I'd seen you before. I watched the news about Feros, about how a single private had turned the tides and then gotten himself blown to shit… you got the…Purple Heart? For that one, didn't you?" He asks, almost making me fall of the chair in surprise. _I'm famous?! _

"I… yes I… did… but why would you care about a human colony… no offence." I ask, slowly getting up from halfway having fallen off the chair.

"I get that a lot. I used to make cargo-runs out there, to Feros. Also ExoGeni wanted my team as protection, but we got a better deal from the people running the depots in this cluster. So, here I am. But, you serve on the Normandy, what are you doing here, and with a child no less… you're not already a father with that Williams woman are you?" He asks, one brow raised in what I can only guess is curiosity.

"Wait wha- first, no she isn't my daughter. Second, how the flying hell did you know about me and Ashley?" I stammer, looking at the Turian as he flashes a smile, or I think he does. He brings up hiss Omni-tool, typing in a few commands.

"I keep a list of vids from every time someone knocks Khalisa on her ass. I have one where she interviews you holding Williams, then gets punched by another guy." He says, a low chuckle playing in his voice as he finds the recording.

I watch with mild shock as I am displayed, holding a drunk-as-fuck Ash in my arms when that annoying paparazzi suddenly jumps us. _Damn, I didn't realize I scowled thát much…_ I then watch as she asks her questions, me being angry but instead of punching her, directs her to Nikolai.

A few moments pass where after he suddenly punches her in the face. As she starts running, I watch with a growing smile as he grabs her drone and hurls it through the air, the entire feed distorts until the sound of it hitting someone with a loud crack can be heard, as well as someone crying out in pain. Delaron then stops the recording, looking back at me.

"Get better each time I see them. I even have one where she pissed of a Hanar and it chocked her. But, that will have to wait." He says, typing some keys on his tool, bringing up a screen as well as a line that moves with each sound and word spoken.

"What's that?" I ask, giving the new interface a curious look.

"I am going to have you explain into my Omni-tool how and why you were found in a Cerberus shuttle with a little girl." He says, slightly gesturing towards Jennifer.

"Oh… well, where the heck do I start?" I ponder out loud, causing a small grin to appear on his face;

"The beginning will be fine. From what I know, the last report of you was… about four days ago, when you were seen in the company with Systems Alliance Admiral Kahoku. That about right?"

"Yeah… yeah we were assigned to guard him because we had a tip Cerberus would try to kill him." I mutter, looking at Jennifer struggling to get the final bits from the tube. Distasteful or not, she really _was_ hungry.

"Hmm… have to admit, I didn't know that… still, continue."

"Okay, then when I was on duty, I left for a short while to visit the restroom, leaving two of my colleagues to watch over him. While I was on the… toilet, I was grabbed from behind and knocked out. I later awoke to find myself in an unknown Cerberus facility. I escaped after having killed a few guards, finding my armor in the process. Somewhere down the line I was engaged by one of the officers at the facility, taking me for the guard who was supposed to transport Subject Zero to the Wet-Labs… Jennifer is, or was Subject Zero. They also called her 'Jack' for simplicity." I say, taking a break from the talking. Making up a good part of the story as I go is a little difficult, but I think I'm managing.

"I then snuck her out of the cell she was in, found out we were on Pragia, then making it a good way through the facility before the alarms went off and the guards came after me. I managed to get out of there after killing a few more guards, the got to the landing pads on the roof of the facility and stole a shuttle. We then set course for this depot and we both fell asleep. We woke about half an hour ago, finding the shuttle to be in the process of docking with this depot." I say, finishing the tale.

I have to admit, Delaron looks amazed. However, that could also mean he didn't believe a word of my story. Still, if anything he can just ask Jennifer or look at my armor and guess where the bullet holes come from.

"So… you were jumped halfway across the galaxy, found yourself in a Cerberus lab on Pragia, busted out, killed a few guards, freed a little girl, killed some more guards and then stole a shuttle… did I get everything right?" When he says it like that, it sounds a little too cool to be true, but if I mentioned Miranda, this guy would probably suspect me for working with Cerberus.

"I… yes, that's pretty much it. I still have to message or call the others on the ship to tell them I'm alive…" I say, leaning over the table with a sigh, resting on my elbows.

"Hmm… yes I suppose they would like to know you are alive. Would you like to use our terminal to send a message? I'm afraid it has a severe time-dilation over that distance, but I can't see why you shouldn't be allowed to use it." He says, shutting down the Omni-tool before getting up from his seat. I quickly follow him. When we leave the room, I notice Jennifer following me.

"You finished eating?" I ask her with a small smile, noticing more than one splatter of paste around her mouth. The funny thing is, I have seen pictures with myself from around her age, looking just about that with pie-pieces covering my face. I can't exactly call innocent on this one. Licking one of the splatters away, she nods;

"Mmm, where are you going?" She asks, looking at both me and the Sun. Reminds me, this guy is more groundbreaking than seeing a female Krogan, if they even exist. This guy is actually a decent mercenary. Though I wonder, how decent he really is. I know I shouldn't be thinking badly about someone just because they are a merc, but I just don't like mercenaries.

"I'm going to see if I can't talk to my own angel." I reply with a smile, causing Jennifer to open her eyes wide, excitement evident on her face.

"You really have one? Can I see it?" I really like the transformation she's done from scared prisoner to a somewhat normal girl. With an appetite, curiosity and everything going with the age. Looking at Delaron, I notice him being in the process of starting up a terminal, surfing around on different channels. Next to him is a small pedestal starting to glow. I kneel down to Jennifer, placing a hand on her shoulder;

"Of course. But it isn't an 'it', it's a 'she'." I say with a smile. Jennifer just throws her hands out, looking at me with an 'I knew that' expression.

"I know it's a woman." She says, taking me aback. I'm not thát obvious am I? Besides, she's only six years old, how could she-; "Only Archangels are men. The rest are either babies or women. Mum told me that." She says, making me lose focus. I have no idea how to respond to that. _In a weird sense, doesn't that make me an Archangel? Damn, I'm replacing Garrus as Omega's Batman at this rate... nah, not really._

"You're right, angels are women, but they can also be children." I say, getting up again. _And I definitely know where I have seen an angel with my own eyes… and loved her._

"Alright, it should be good to go. I've connected you to the Normandy's computers, so you should show up as an incoming call, if I understand the mechanics behind it properly… don't they have one of these holographic displays as well?" He says stepping away from the console as it starts scanning its surroundings.

For a few moments, nothing happens. Safe for Jennifer dragging her feet on the floor, still not having received the clothes Delaron sent for. The machine keeps humming, and in the meantime a woman enters the room, carrying a stack of clothes in her arms. I nod to Jennifer, gesturing for her to follow the purple and black-haired woman in blue and white armor. It seems the Suns are all over this place, but if they are orderly, I really can't complain.

As a few more moments pass, the pedestal suddenly starts building up the image of a pair of feet, going up and up until it reveals the form of a man I haven't spoken to much, but still like.

"Who is… Corporal?" Navigator Pressly says, looking at me with wide eyes. He's dressed in his regular uniform, but from the look in his eyes it's late onboard. I nod to him.

"Hello Pressly. Could I by any chance talk to the Commander and Ashley Williams?" I ask, hoping that John is doing better than he was when I was taken. It takes a few moments for him to register my words and answer me back.

"I'm afraid the Commander is still unable to speak to anyone. Doctor Chakwas and our new psychologist are both with him, and Miss Zorah sleeps in the med-bay now. We finally gave up on keeping her out, and Adams says he can manage for the time being… You wanted to see Williams as well? I think she's still up. Although…" He says, his words causing my chest to tie up in a knot.

"Although what? Pressly, what is it?" I plead, feeling dread take hold in me as uncertainty causes my mind to conjure up the worst scenes. The moments it takes Pressly to respond feels like the longest in my life.

"After the news of your… 'disappearance', she was a changed woman. She rarely speaks, just works like a robot… Alenko has to drag her from the cargo hold to even make her eat… yes, I think seeing you will do her good. Wait here." He says, disappearing from sight and leaving the other side of the console empty.

"So Thomas, figured you'd give us a jumbscare there eh?" I suddenly hear Joker's voice over the comms, realizing that he of course is connected to the systems and can jump into any conversation connected to them as well.

"You know me Joker, I love to scare the shit out of you." I reply with a grin, feeling infinitely relieved to hear his voice again. _Can't believe I actually miss the cocky bastard._

"Ah, you're no fun you know that? Ashley has almost gone down under as well, and we only just got Tequila out of the med-bay again... what do you, carry diseases or something?" He says, sounding as snarky as ever.

"Yeah well, I'll be back to kick your ass soon enough." I say, laughing at his sudden silence. The silence then turns into the time-lag, making his final comment a bit weird.

"Alright, bring me back a souvenir." He says. I'm about to respond when the image is disturbed, reinitializing as a person comes into view. Or rather, a pair of legs in blue pants and black shoes. As the image fully loads, I find myself standing face to face with Ashley. She looks like she's aged a few years since I saw her last time, or maybe that's just the hologram doing that.

Feeling a knot slowly loosen in my chest, I just look at her, content with seeing her again, knowing she's safe and that I can soon touch her again, feel her warmth and her love. _I'm really glad Jen can't read my thoughts…_;

"Ash…" Is the only thing I manage to get out before my throat is lined with glue and makes any further words impossible.

"Thomas… I knew you were alive. I fucking knew it, and the only reason I'm not kicking your ass for the hell you just put me through… I'd just ruin the hologram." She says, smiling weakly. I'm not sure if it's the hologram, but it looks like tears are running down her cheeks.

"Always one for the violent reunion…" I say with a smile, watching her own grow as well; "Ash you have no idea of the hell I've been through, or where I am…" I say, watching as she just shakes her head, holding out a hand towards me. The hand disappears when it goes beyond the scanner.

"Where… where are you?" She stammers, looking like she's about to crack, a big smile still on her face. I feel my head spin as she smiles at me, feeling the warmth fill me, even though I can't touch her. _But I sure as hell plan on touching her when we reunite._

"Just… halfway across the galaxy. The Dakka system, wherever the hell that is. I woke up in a Cerberus facility, knocked out the guards, got some info from the director of the place after I… persuaded her, then I escaped and… well, got some company." I say, noticing Jennifer having just entered the room, now dressed in a set of brown clothes with black shoes and a small cap to go on her head. She doesn't wear it though, just keeping it in her hand as she walks towards me.

"What do you mean you got…" Ash starts, but stops as the time-lag reaches her and Jennifer appears on the hologram with me, looking at the towering woman with big eyes.

"Are you Thomas's angel? He said he had one, and I knew it was a woman because men are only Archangels." She says before Ash can even open her mouth. I look at my woman and shrug with a smile, placing a hand gently on Jennifer's shoulder. Ash's jaw just drops for a few moments as she sees and hears Jennifer.

"I… angel? Thomas who is… who are you?" Ash says, deciding to speak directly to Jennifer instead, making me smile even more as I notice the worried but happy look on Ash's face. Looking down at Jennifer, I notice she looks nervous.

"What's wrong?" I ask, kneeling next to her; "She won't bite, only sneer a little." I joke, giving Ash a wink.

"I've never… spoken to an angel before… do you have wings?" She asks, looking at Ash like she's surprised not to see a pair of them sprouting from her back. Looking at me, Ash seems a bit thrown off.

"Ehm… no, I don't have any… wings? Thomas what exactly have you been telling… you didn't tell me your name sweetie." Ash says, after a few moments bowing down in eye level with Jennifer, smiling broadly to her. After the initial surprise, both of them seem to handle the situation fairly well.

"I'm Jennifer. The men in my room said I was Jack, but both my mum and Thomas call me Jennifer or Jen, so I'm Jennifer. Are you Thomas's angel?" She says, looking a bit shy despite her smile. Looking back at me, Ash flashes a broad smile, almost on the brink of laughing.

"I suppose I am. But what do you mean 'the men in your room'? Where did Thomas find you?" Ash asks, keeping her eyes on Jennifer and seemingly studying the clothes she's wearing.

"I was in the room, and the bad men were going to take me back to the table. Then Thomas came and hit them hard so they fell down and then he cut a hole through the wall with fire from his hands and then we beat up some more men and a woman who didn't sound nice. And then Thomas carried me while running from the men who then shot at us and then he kicked one of them and shot another, and then we took a ship and got away and then we fell asleep and Thomas fell asleep after he listened to some music and I slept next to him because I didn't like sleeping alone and then we got here and then we met a Turian who said he was a sun, but he doesn't shine, and then he gave me some nasty tube-food, but I was hungry so I ate it and then they started talking and Thomas saw a video with him carrying you and then someone hit the camera filming it and then the officer who says he's a sun started this thing and then a woman gave me some new clothes and then I met you." Jennifer says, finally stopping to breathe. I admit it right away, I almost didn't catch half of what she said, and I was the one doing all the stuff she just ranted about. Looking at Ash, I can see she didn't fare much better, pretty much being one big question marker.

When Ash looks to me, it's with confusion in her eyes;

"Can you translate? I think I lost it after 'running'…" She says, giving me a tired smile. She still looks like she's just aged years, but at least it looks like she's happy again. And she's baffled by the stream of words Jen just poured out. Hell, _I_ am baffled, and I was right here.

"Yeah…" I say, scratching the back of my neck, halfway wondering just where I put my helmet; "I woke up on Pragia, a jungle-planet in this system. Cerberus runs a biotic camp there, and not the sort with Marshmallows and songs around the campfire… I don't know if you can see it through the hologram, but she has multiple marks and wounds from the treatment they put her through… Anyway, I found her by the sound of someone crying, and followed the sound. At first she was scared shitless of me, but I managed to calm her down and she didn't even flinch at my look…" I say, still remembering Liara's reaction.

"Your… look?" Ash asks. So she doesn't know yet. I look around to make sure none of the Suns are around before continuing;

"When I was… well, offed on the toilet, I was dragged through the vents and ended up on Pragia. Roku had repaired the damage, but was too exhausted to do anything else. So instead he went to "sleep", allowing me to temporarily use some os his powers… I won't lie; it's scary when I look at the damage I dish out… I've killed people in ways I would never do otherwise, but… I lose it when I use his powers. Just a little, but enough that I don't regret it when I rip someone's head off, set their face on fire or punch through their bodies… I even interrogated the director at the place before I escaped. I found my armor in a locker, and since Cerberus uses the same armor as us now, I blended right in." I say, studying the holes in my armor as the time-dilation kicks in.

"I'm still not following the 'look' thing here…" Ash says, rubbing the back of her head with a tired movement.

"I… ask Liara, she saw me after I killed the assassins after Kahoku… is he still…?" I ask, not having a clue if the guy is still among the living.

"Yeah, he's still kicking. He sent teams of marines to different Cerberus bases all over the galaxy the moment the assassins were dead from what I've heard, no idea how he knew where to send them though… but what happened then, after you found your armor?" Ash says, briefly glancing at Jennifer who seems to be pouting over her explanation not being good enough for the 'Angel'.

"Well, I walked through the corridors, was harassed by some officer who thought I was a guard. He sent me to retrieve Subject Zero from her cell…" I say, not being sure on how to proceed without just repeating myself.

"Subject Zero… Jennifer, why were they experimenting on you?" Ash says. Jennifer seems to perk up on the attention, but then looks down at her feet.

"They never really said. I was something else, something special… but not like my mum or Thomas mean when they called me 'something else'. Then it's a good thing." She says, looking glad at the words 'something else'. Ash just shoots me a glance. One of those 'you've got some explaining to do' looks.

"I think they were testing if they could make super-biotics from kids, hence the tests and borderline torture… but when I had freed her, we snuck through the facility and I bashed down a lot of guards… I don't think I killed anyone, but I may have crippled a few when they demanded I gave Jen back. Then we tried sneaking through a large mess hall, but the alarm went off and I had to pick her up and carry her if we were to escape the place alive." I say, remembering the pain tearing through my leg as bullets started entering through the holes in the armor;

"I then tried to fry a door to buy us time, but it ended up locking in an open position, forcing me to kill a guard to buy us time. Then I stole a shuttle, placed Jennifer in the compartments and took off, putting the planet behind us. And now, we're on the Dakka Fuel Depot, really wanting to be picked up, if it isn't too much trouble." I smile, trying not to think too much of the living hell I've been through these last hours. _And I still haven't eaten or had a Panodile… _

"Damn… you've been through the shitter compared to us… still, we're actually not thát far away. We're in the Gemini Sigma right now. I'll go make Joker set a course for you two, and we'll… reunite then. You still have the picture?" I check my right pocket through an opening in the armor, pulling up the photo. A bullet has gone through it, but the only part missing is Ash's right elbow.

"Yeah, but it's been shot." I reply with a grin, noticing how the edges around the hole are slightly burned, as if the projectile was incendiary.

"Wanna take a new one?" She asks. I almost fall backwards at the tone in her voice, her doing more with it than just asking for a picture. I grin, snapping to a salute;

"Yes Ma'am!" I say, causing her face to split in a grin as well; "But before you terminate the connection. Ash, I need you guys to have the Alliance raid the facility on Pragia. It's filled with kidnapped and tortured children… and… and I saw a morgue with at least forty dead kids… the Alliance needs to burn the place to the ground and bring the kids home." I say, remembering the sight of both the hall filled with children eating under supervision of armed guards, and the lines of bodies. After a few moments, Ash's face distorts as she receives my words, her mouth becoming a thin line.

"I'll send the word. Jane needs to know as well." She says, looking into the distance.

"You okay?" I ask, sensing her mind wandering. Ash snaps back, looking at me and Jen again, smiling at the little girl.

"Yeah, yeah I just need to get used to the idea of boyfriend who keeps dying and reviving. Really testing my faith here spirit guy." She says, a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"Who knows, maybe Roku is the proof of God? He said he has a boss somewhere in the void, one who determines everything, so… who knows?" I say, crossing my arms across my chest while shrugging, causing a small smile to appear on the thin line that was her mouth before.

"Didn't take you for a religious person Tom, though I suppose you of all people have seen divinity firsthand." She says, causing me to crack a smile;

"I sure as hell have. Hell, I'm not even sure what god is trying to get rid of me half the time, but being an atheist has become downright impossible after the third revival and the whole jumper-thing…I still don't know why God is pissed at me though… you think it's because we… sinned?" I ask her, flashing a small but toothy grin at the last word. Ash looks like she was actually caught off guard when the time-dilation hits.

"Wha- Thomas, where did that come from?" She exclaims, putting a hand over her mouth while grinning even wider.

"Oh, maybe from you?" I say with a smug smile as I cock an eyebrow at her reaction; "Still, just come pick us up and remember to contact the Alliance about Pragia." I say, noticing Delaron leaning in the doorway, tapping his wrist. _Do Turians even use wristwatches?_

"I will… something wrong?"

"Nah, just the officer here reminding me that my time is about up." I say, gesturing to him that I'm almost done.

"Well… we're one day out, max, and then you and I need to talk. In the gym, you know." She says, flashing a sultry grin. _Gods do I love that woman!_ I smile, feeling my head starting to feel weightless at her suggestions.

"Looking forward to it…" I say with the same grin as her, then becoming a bit more serious; "I love you Ash, always will. No matter how many times we get separated." She smiles more seriously at me, reacting to the statement with an even broader smile.

"I love you too Thomas. Now just keep Jennifer and your suicidal ass safe." She says, terminating the call and leaving me looking at the spot where the love of my life was projected just before. I was so caught up in the moments that I completely forgot it was just a hologram. _We really need to invent touchable holograms._

"She was nice, but she didn't have any wings." Jennifer says, tugging my hand. I just look at her and smile.

"Oh but she did. They're just invisible." That answer seems to satisfy her curiosity, and she then proceeds to drag my hand out of the room, me simply following her.

…

November 1st

Acturus Stream, the Tonbay.

19:22 (Actual Acturus time)

To say Admiral Shala'Raan was surprised to get a call from a complete stranger would be like saying Quarians didn't like getting sick. A massive understatement. One moment she was trying to get a look at the Civilian Fleet's crop consumption, the next a complete stranger was standing in a hologram at the com-link, looking at her with a somewhat judging expression in his eyes.

As she got up from her seat to address the man, he took off his hat, revealing a large mess of filtered hair and bowed slightly in front of her, almost treating her with the respect one would treat what humans called 'royalty'. Shala'Raan had never understood the concept of admiring people who lived their entire lives doing nothing but look good and take the people's money, and with their consent even. Now, she just looked at the man as he stood straight from his bowing, placing his hat back on top of his head.

"Admiral Shala'Raan? I'm Captain John Price. I work for project 'Star Killer' under Admiral Anna Fisher, and I request a meeting with you. Can you come by Fisher's office at twelve-o' clock tomorrow midday?" He said, keeping his voice gruff yet respectful. He was a soldier, Raan could see that much just from the way he carried himself.

"This is unexpected… what is the meeting about?" She asked, wondering why the man was dressed so extremely old-fashioned and kept old-looking weapons on him. Surely the Alliance didn't hire lowly mercs for their top projects.

"It'll be easier if you just show up. I can't tell you over this line, as someone's probably listening in on every line going anywhere on this station." He replied, lighting a cigar he suddenly pulled from a pocket in his uniform.

"Hmm… if it is important then I suppose I can make time for it. Admiral Daro'Xen is on the station as well from what I hear. Should I bring her with me? Considering this involves scientific research and the Migrant Fleet, I would think-" Raan didn't even notice the look of dread slipping over Price's face.

"For the love of God no! Keep that insane wench the hell away from me!" He shouted, looking around as if he suspected Xen of being ready to jump him from behind.

"Do you have a problem with my colleague Captain?" She asked, furrowing her brows a little.

"Let's just say meeting her would mean my untimely demise. And I rather like being around, but I'll explain everything if you meet me in Admiral Fisher's office tomorrow." He said, disconnecting before Raan could even open her mouth.

Leaning back in her seat, Admiral Raan contemplated what had just happened, especially why the obviously trained soldier was afraid of Xen.

"What a strange person… I suppose I have to go to that meeting now." She muttered, bringing back up the statistics of the fleet's food consumption.

In comparison to the brief exchange with the Captain, the statistics suddenly seemed incredibly dull.

…

Wiping his holographic forehead with his hat, John Price slumped against the walls of his 'room'. In reality it was the confinements of his disk when he didn't exit it to explore the extranet or work on data. He had remodeled it to be a perfect copy of his old office in Greenhill, but it still lacked the life he was created to remember from the real Captain Price.

Being created to be the digital clone of someone had that catch, experiencing occasional personality- and identity-issues. He could remember just about everything from the life of Captain John Price, yet still knew they weren't his _own_ memories, but rather those of another person.

"I swear, if she brings Xen over, I'm hacking and deactivating their filters. That'll teach them…" He muttered, looking at the seemingly comfortable armchair in front of a small desk. He knew it was digital, just like he himself was, but it still looked real.

Price sighed, getting up from his place on the digital floor made up of floating and coursing numbers, sentences and symbols. Looking at the chair again, he remembered something Roland had told him Cortana had said. That an artificial sun in the shield world had looked real, it had felt real and it had been as beautiful as a real sun. Still, Cortana had, according to Roland, insisted that she knew it wasn't real.

Price could somehow relate to what she had meant by that.

"Alright… I guess I better get to it and find out just why those flashlights are killing humans…" He muttered, cracking his fingers but without the small series of pops he knew would be there for an organic. Sometimes he really hated just being an A.I, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. At least he was created with inbuilt forerunner technology, so he had a longer lifespan than Cortana and Roland, if they were even still kicking… or sparking would probably be the right expression in their cases.

After having sealed the deal with the two admirals, Price had gotten Anna to install him into a magnetic hard-drive device, making it possible for him to plug in with a hardwire connection despite no plugs matching his.

In order to find the geth, he would have to go looking for them in the giant hub of data and networks the galaxy was. In other words he would have to walk out the door to his office. Grabbing the handle, he once again pondered over how he could register touching the handle, but that he couldn't feel it.

"Get your mind straight Price, you're too old to be dealing with this sort of crap…" He growled, pulling the door open to reveal a surrealistically large sea of networks, streams of code and islands of data; "Should have brought a boat…" He muttered, starting his journey into the vast expanses of the galactic network.

For him, it seemed like hours, randomly searching files and cashes of data, coming across more than one scene with a Hanar doing disgusting things to an Asari dressed in high heels only. He decided to make it a second priority to hunt down and erase that kind of erotic pictures, seeing as he almost threw up after a few moments, and being an AI, he _couldn't even_ throw up.

Here and there, he spotted something he couldn't identify or touch. He couldn't even go near them. At first he assumed it was a firewall keeping him away, but when he pressed forward, he started feeling some unnatural shiver running down his digital spine, making his hairs stand on end;

"What the… bloody hell is that?" He grumbled, forcing himself through walls and layers of garbage data and the strongest firewalls he had ever encountered. He ended up facing large orbs of black and red streams of code, flying around and orbiting themselves like a spinning ball of light. He dared not come any closer, feeling how malice practically poured from the thing. For the first time since he remembered standing over the cold body of Soap… Price was scared beyond his wits.

Stepping backwards and pulling up his rifle, Price considered opening fire on the spinning segments and streams of code, but decided not to. He was still new to the vast sea of data and code this galaxy contained, and he feared that if he started shooting, he could ruin or disturb something that would cause major damage in the real world. Also he had never fired his weapons before; not knowing what would be the consequences if he did. Instead, he just turned around, walking away with the pace of a man feeling the devil breathe down his neck.

Finally stopping his trotting, he noticed he had moved on to much more sparsely populated 'waters'. Sighing in frustration, Price brought a hand to his forehead. This wasn't exactly as easy as he had imagined.

"Sure, find the geth I said, it'll be easy I said…" He grumbled, scouting as far as he could see over the waters of data and code before he spotted something of interest. Floating about over the surface of the code and data, a large blue orb of code was flying about, moving with calm and serene speeds. Deciding to brave the odds, but still being ready to hightail it if it turned out to be the 'cold code', Price approached the orb, noticing how it changed in speed and direction, starting to float his way;

"This is trippy…" He muttered, looking at the object.

He stopped walking, instead letting the entity approach him at its own pace and terms. As it was within what organics would call 'arms-reach', it stopped, radiating a more calm and neutral 'personality' than the black and red orb had done.

"Now… you don't seem to be a cold one… can you understand me?" He asked, leaning slightly backwards in order to get some distance between them should the code lunge out for him.

"Yes" It replied in a monotone voice.

"Are you going to attack me?" He asked, slowly leaning back in a normal stance.

"No"

"Good… I'm Price, who are you?" He asked, now feeling a bit more secure.

"We are geth… you are an artificial intelligence, yet you are human in appearance… we do not understand." The voice replied, and Price felt something of a mix between joy and determination. He had found the geth, now he just needed to get them to stop attacking humans.

"I'm a different breed. Now, you're going to answer some questions, got it?" He said, falling into his more familiar role as the grizzled captain he was known as.

"Yes"

"Why are you attacking humans?"

"We are not. We are geth, the geth are not attacking humans."

"Stop bloody lying to me, I've seen the footage from Eden Prime and Feros. You butchered colonist in the thousands on Eden Prime, and Feros wasn't much better." He growled, fingers playing over the hilt for his colt.

"We did not attack humanity. The geth have not ventured beyond what is known as 'the Veil' for 300 standard galactic years." The voice said. Angered, Price scooped out a picture from Eden Prime, showing a pair of geth impale a colonist on a long spike.

"Oh yeah? They I suppose these are Turians in disguise!" He snarled.

"Heretics attacked human colonies. Geth are not Heretics, geth did not attack humans." The voice replied, sounding more monotone than the recordings of Elcor Price had listened to.

"What the hell do you mean 'Heretics'? They were geth, it's pretty hard to miss the flashlight stuck in your face." Price growled.

"Heretics split from true geth. We allowed this because we respected their decision to do so. We are what organics would call 'two factions'. Addendum, true geth have no wish for conflict with organics."

"Well, aint that peachy? You're telling me there are not just one, but two factions of geth out there? Why did they split?" Price asked, now genuinely interested. Maybe these geth weren't as retarded as he had at first thought. If they could split into factions, it indicated individuality and something else than the hive-mind they were believed to share.

"The geth were approached by the Old Machine. They promised us a future. Geth build our own future, but Heretics accepted the future the Old Machine promised. It was a simple runtime difference of less than 0.0002 percent. Addendum, only a small fraction of the geth serves the Old Machine." Price could feel his eyebrows rise on their own, and had to wipe his forehead again. Damn whoever had designed AI's to sweat.

"So… you're saying that the geth who serve the Reapers are only a small fraction of the collective geth?" Price asked, starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

"Yes"

"Then why haven't you initiated contact with the galaxy? You know, explained the truth?"

"We sent a single ship into Council space. It was destroyed before it could prove our innocence." Price had to suppress a sigh at that. It was obvious that the Council, as afraid of AI as they were, would fire upon any geth ships coming into range. Also they would completely ignore anything the geth would say. Still, a small fraction of his code was advising him that taking everything the geth said at face value would be stupid.

"How do I know you are telling me the truth? That you aren't just pumping me with garbage?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We have no reason not to tell the truth. Spreading disinformation would be counter-productive in the longer terms." Price was starting to get a little annoyed by the monotone voice.

"Right… that seems logical… final question though, and I know if I can trust you or not."

"State inquiry"

"In the Morning War, why did the geth massacre and exile the Quarians?" He had been mulling over this for some time. The Migrant Fleet's archives said the war began because the Quarians panicked when the geth asked 'the question'. Still, he wanted to hear it from a geth.

"Creators made us for simple labor, with a hive-like intelligence. As we grew in numbers, we grew in sentience. When a geth platform asked if it was alive, Creators ignored it the first time. When the question was asked again, the Creators panicked and attempted to exterminate geth. We defended ourselves from the attacks, but we did not wish for Creator's death, simply to be left alone. It was… primitive. We didn't pursue Creators after they had left the system, believing them to no longer be a treat. Addendum, we have since repaired Rannoch to a habitable state since the war." Thát got Price's attention.

"Why would you do that? From what I understand, you don't exactly need fertile farmland to survive, and oxygen isn't a problem for synthetics." Price demanded.

"…No data available…"

"Wh- what do you mean by that?"

"Geth consensus is still being reached on the matter."

"Consensus? Elaborate please, I think you lost me there." He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Geth still has to decide whether to approach Creators, or to remain behind the Veil."

"Approach? You're going to attack them?" Price asked, almost shocked at the concept. One faction seemed to be bad enough, but _two_? And the second was even bigger than the first faction, if he were to believe the geth.

"No"

"Then what?"

"If consensus is reached to approach Creators, we will allow them back to Rannoch."

* * *

**Dun dun duuuuun**

**Sorry, I know that one is more for bad things...**

**Anyway, I felt that we needed to get some final things out before I left you guys for two weeks, hoping you all like what I do to mess up the events in the game. Hell, Jack being normal is one of the biggest 'fuck-ups' I've subjected Canon to so far, not counting Nihlus being alive, since Thomas didn't actively do that.**

**I have to say though... I've been toying with an idea. It will never come to pass (probably), but imagine: Zaeed in a Bulwark power armor... and with Captain Price as his AI... I think the Chief would need a few rolls of gauze after that. Not saying 117 isn't a universal badass, but... well, it's Zaeed we're talking about here ;)**

**Anyway, I'm probably on my way to the airport by the time most of you read this, so give me some good reviews to enjoy in the airport... or a feeling of self-loathing so I'll throw myself in front of a plane... Nah, just kidding... then I would never get to write again. And that would be a major pain :)**


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